Minerals Council South Africa Inputs NOT Reflected In MRD Bill

The Mineral Resources Development Bill (MRD) does not reflect inputs from the Minerals Council South Africa.

These were given during brief, high-level engagements with the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.

So says its CEO Mzila Mthenjane.

“The draft bill is not altogether optimal. We did have engagements with the department, but we cannot see where our inputs were taken into consideration,” says Mthenjane.

“What we were exposed to in our two engagements was very high level, and we were not given any access to the underlying wording of what we were shown and how it was being amended,” he says.

Empowerment requirements

Giving an example, Mthenjane points to oft-repeated public comments by Minister Gwede Mantashe that prospecting companies were excluded from the same empowerment requirements for holders of mining rights.

“We raised this point over and over in our engagements with the department that the amendments must specifically exclude prospecting companies from empowerment requirements.

Exploration is the highest risk part of the mineral value chain and imposes an unnecessary burden on prospectors who must sink every rand into drilling and data interpretation.

“Yet in this draft bill, none of that is included,” he says.

The Minerals Council continues to review the Bill and will further engage the department to co-create a regulatory environment that will attract and support investment in exploration, mine development and the sustainability of existing mines to unlock the potential of South Africa’s mineral resources for economic growth and job creation.