Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe
Industry body the Minerals Council South Africa has welcomed the reappointment of Gwede Mantashe as Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister, with this Ministry having been separated from that of Electricity and Energy, which continues to be headed by Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
The council’s newly elected president Nombasa Tsengwa says Mantashe’s reappointment brings continuity in the engagements and relationships that the council has fostered with him since his initial appointment as then Mineral Resources and Energy Minister in 2018.
The Minerals Council also welcomes Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala in her appointment as Deputy Minister, having moved from the Deputy Minister position of Water and Sanitation.
“The separation of the minerals and energy portfolios will allow Mantashe to focus on and give urgency to creating the right legislative environment to grow the mining industry by encouraging investments in exploration, new mine development and existing operations,” says Minerals Council CEO Mzila Mthenjane.
He vows that the council will continue to work with political parties, business, labour, civil society and other stakeholders to address South Africa’s critical challenges in the National Dialogue that President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on June 30, including the energy, transport and crime crises.
“We need to prioritise the role of mining in revitalising the economy going into the future as a matter of urgency. It is one of the key drivers of South Africa’s economy through its uncontested multiplier effects which can be realised by creating an enabling regulatory and operating environment,” Tsengwa and Mthenjane state.
A particular priority for the mining industry in this seventh administration is the need to harmonise the regulatory requirements in various departments to expedite the processing of rights to explore, build a mine or expand an existing operation.
This requires the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources to lead and coordinate among the departments of Water and Sanitation, Agriculture and Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Of equal importance is the implementation of a mining cadastre, which is a digital platform to efficiently manage mineral right applications and licences.