Mineral Resources Minister, Gwede Mantashe, has again extended the deadline for public consultations on the draft mining charter.
Mantashe says the consultations have been extended until the end of August to allow for further engagements. He was speaking at a media briefing at the end of a two-day mining summit in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, on Sunday.
Mantashe says stakeholders requested the extension of public consultations on the draft mining charter. He has however assured investors, labour and mining companies that the charter will be finalised before the end of this year.
The minister says the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation will also assess the socio-economic impact of the revised charter before it is gazetted.
“One month is a request from stakeholders because they are asking for the extension of the public comments. We granted because we thought that was not extreme, and we want to get genuine views of people. Not just issues that they think quick, quick. That is not actually pushing the timeframe for the actual gazetting of the charter.”
The minister says other issues regarding mining and its challenges, including taking the draft charter to cabinet, will go ahead – parallel to the consultations.
“There was that temptation even in this summit to make the charter a bamba zonke, all embracing, taking everything. The charter is not for that. We said all those issues will be documented separately and will be built into the program of the department. If there is a complain of a mine that has an open cast and exhume graves that’s not a charter issue its an actionable issue.”
The minister says he is confident that he will meet investment targets in the sector, despite not finalising policy.
“A month ago you remember that Rio Tinto announced R600 billion expansion in its operations in Richards Bay. Now we must quantify the in-roads that we are making in the investment front. And it is that quantification that will be added up and translated to what the President said should be over five years. Our responsibility is to quantify the contribution in the mining industry.”
The new revised charter supports a 30% black ownership target on new mining rights and seeks to provide inclusive participation of disadvantaged groups – including women, youth and black people – without harming profits.
“Big companies invest in their communities and big companies talk to their employees. It’s a modern way of doing business. Running mining companies in South Africa in a modern way. When you invest in communities where you’re mining in, can’t scare investors. What will scare investors is when you say it’s a 10% taken away from investors.”
Since his appointment in February, Mantashe has been meeting with stakeholders and community members countrywide to receive input on the draft Mining Charter.
Last year, the Minerals Council of SA, formerly the Chamber of Mines, took government to court, saying the revised charter was drafted in bad faith by the former Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane, and his advisors.
The court set aside the charter from being implemented in its current form. The department says it has also begun to rebuild trust and is currently still consulting the minerals council regarding transformation in the mining sector.
Watch videos below:
