The government and the mining industry had reached agreement on most of the sticking points in the new draft Mining Charter and would now deal with the “nitty-gritty”‚ Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane says.
He was answering questions after addressing the Chamber of Mines annual general meeting‚ a month after he issued a new draft charter crafted without consultation that contains drastic changes to previous versions. Chamber chief executive Roger Baxter said after the meeting that the way the draft charter had been released was unusual‚ but this was a new minister with new advisers and he had acknowledged he had not followed the usual processes.
Baxter said the mineral resources department’s deadline for engagement on the draft charter was the end of the month. Another draft could be circulated for comment by early July. Separately – after the government and mining could not agree on whether mining companies continually had to find and introduce new black shareholders at a discount to maintain the 26% black-ownership level required in the charter – the Chamber of Mines has asked the courts for a declaratory order on the ownership principle.
Asked on the sidelines of the meeting about a rumour that former labour department director-general Jimmy Manyi would be appointed director-general of the mineral resources department‚ the minister said interviews had been completed and a recommendation made to the cabinet.
It would discuss the recommendation at its meeting next Wednesday and an announcement would follow.
Asked what role the department would play in looming platinum wage negotiations‚ Zwane said it would not be directly involved‚ but urged all stakeholders to reach an agreement peacefully and speedily.
“We believe we should be able to do better this time because of the lessons learned.”
He was referring to the prolonged strike and violence around Rustenburg mines that had accompanied the previous round of wage negotiations in 2014.
“In the prevailing difficult economic environment for mining and the country as a whole‚ with the threat of a sovereign ratings downgrade‚ a repeat of the events around the previous wage round will be foolhardy”‚ Baxter said.
The government has also come in for criticism for regulatory uncertainty because amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act agreed two years ago have never been passed into law.
Zwane said the Act was receiving serious attention and he expected parliament would deal with it this year to bring certainty to the industry.
At the chamber’s meeting‚ Teke was re-elected president‚ and Andile Sangqu as vice-president‚ with Neal Froneman replacing Graham Briggs as the second vice-president.
Light at end of tunnel for mining charter
He was answering questions after addressing the Chamber of Mines annual general meeting‚ a month after he issued a new draft charter crafted without consultation that contains drastic changes to previous versions. Chamber chief executive Roger Baxter said after the meeting that the way the draft charter had been released was unusual‚ but this was a new minister with new advisers and he had acknowledged he had not followed the usual processes.
Baxter said the mineral resources department’s deadline for engagement on the draft charter was the end of the month. Another draft could be circulated for comment by early July. Separately – after the government and mining could not agree on whether mining companies continually had to find and introduce new black shareholders at a discount to maintain the 26% black-ownership level required in the charter – the Chamber of Mines has asked the courts for a declaratory order on the ownership principle.
Asked on the sidelines of the meeting about a rumour that former labour department director-general Jimmy Manyi would be appointed director-general of the mineral resources department‚ the minister said interviews had been completed and a recommendation made to the cabinet.
It would discuss the recommendation at its meeting next Wednesday and an announcement would follow.
Asked what role the department would play in looming platinum wage negotiations‚ Zwane said it would not be directly involved‚ but urged all stakeholders to reach an agreement peacefully and speedily.
“We believe we should be able to do better this time because of the lessons learned.”
He was referring to the prolonged strike and violence around Rustenburg mines that had accompanied the previous round of wage negotiations in 2014.
“In the prevailing difficult economic environment for mining and the country as a whole‚ with the threat of a sovereign ratings downgrade‚ a repeat of the events around the previous wage round will be foolhardy”‚ Baxter said.
The government has also come in for criticism for regulatory uncertainty because amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act agreed two years ago have never been passed into law.
Zwane said the Act was receiving serious attention and he expected parliament would deal with it this year to bring certainty to the industry.
At the chamber’s meeting‚ Teke was re-elected president‚ and Andile Sangqu as vice-president‚ with Neal Froneman replacing Graham Briggs as the second vice-president.
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