Zwane - mining hasn’t planned enough

The Minister of Mineral Resources says the industry was playing catch up because it had neglected to plan for future crises.

Cape Town - The Minister of Mineral Resources delivered a passionate speech when he officially opened the Mining Indaba in Cape Town on Monday, saying the industry was playing catch up because it had neglected to plan for future crises.

Mosebenzi Zwane said now was the time for the industry to start making plans to withstand future crises, focussing on the protection of workers and the industry itself.

“The 2016 Mining Indaba comes at a time when the mining industry is in its winter season, a season some have characterised as a crisis. After much reflection, I am convinced that during our summer season, we have failed ourselves in not planning better for this winter season,” Zwane said.

Zwane said his department was currently engaged in various legislative and regulatory framework discussions as these are matters of necessity in the industry.

Read also: Zwane misses chance to allay coal fears

“I appreciate the importance of regulatory and policy certainty. I assure you that the government has prioritised the processing and finalisation of the MPDR Amendment Bill as a matter of urgency in order to entrench the necessary certainty,” Zwane said.

The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill was returned to Parliament for rewrite over concerns of state ownership of mineral wealth. Zwane has vowed that the Act will be ready by the end of April.

The Chamber of Mines of South Africa on Monday expressed satisfaction at the speed with which the MPDR Amendment Bill was progressing, adding it was eager for the Bill to be published so that comments could begin.

Zwane also said his department was in the process of reviewing the Mining Charter in a bid to enforce compliance to mining houses. “It's am important tool and its targets remain applicable beyond 2014. The social and labour plan commitments constitute a critical component of restructuring and sustaining the dignity of mineworkers and communities,” Zwane said.

In a bid to save jobs, Zwane said leaders in the industry convened under the auspices of MIGDETT - the Mining Growth, Development and Employment Task Team - and committed to a 10-point declaration that will ameliorate the impact of job losses.

But resources expert, Peter Leon, said while Zwane is making all the right noises about the current mining situation, his comments had little substance.

Read also: Safety in focus at Mining Indaba

Leon said though Zwane had been in office for only four months, he would have liked to hear a clearer time-table and concrete steps as to how the department is going to give effect to what the minister was talking about.

“I would really like to see much more positive activity and messages from government which will give effect to all these things. It is all well to say we understand the urgency of the situation and the need for regulatory certainty. But how the government will tackle that is what the investors want to hear,” Leon said.

AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY