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Foreward - by Sandile Nogxina Posted: Mon, 04 Jul 2005 [miningmx.com] -- THE 1 May 2004 will go down in the annals of South Africa’s history as the dawn of a new era in this country, as it’s the day when the Mineral and Petroleum Resources development Act was implemented. This piece of legislation allows the State – for the first time – to assume the custodianship of the nation’s mineral resources, as is the case the world over. The people of SA have in this way entrusted the State with the responsibility of allocating and managing the exploitation of SA’s mineral resources, both now and in the future, for the benefit of all its citizens. This is a great milestone, considering that this is one of the industries in SA where discriminatory practices were rife. The Act is the legislative tool that Government will use to ensure that SA’s mineral wealth contributes in the redress of past imbalances, as referred to in Section 9 of our Constitution. It will also contribute towards ensuring a better life for all our people, as it will facilitate socioeconomic development. Following the promulgation of the Act, the department received a number of applications for conversions and for new rights. The department experienced unexpected logistical problems at the beginning, as is normal with the implementation of a new legislative framework, and that caused some delays. The applicants – due to non-adherence to the new law – caused undue delays, as the department had to enter into discussions with them instead of simply turning down their applications. The department had to embark on a restructuring process in order to be more efficient in the handling of applications, which resulted in the creation of a branch within the department that’s dedicated to licensing. We are now able to process applications within the stipulated timeframe. I can assure you that there won’t be delays anymore. The relationship among all the stakeholders in SA’s minerals and mining industry has always been the envy of other industries because of our continued co-operative working arrangement in tackling the challenges facing the industry. In cementing our relationship we launched the Mineral Development Advisory Board on the 28 June. It will, among other things, advise the minister and co-ordinate all the sector’s partnership implementing structures. Sandile Nogxina Director-general, Minerals & Energy Department
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