[miningmx.com] — Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu has given her department two more weeks to run final tests on the new online prospecting and mineral rights application system that was supposed to be implemented on March 31.
“After having been presented with the latest picture in so far as the new system is concerned, I have accordingly instructed my officials to go back and re-run final tests with regard to the new system for a further 14 days.
“This is being done in a bid to ensure that there is smooth implementation of the new system once the moratorium is lifted,” said Shabangu.
A six-month moratorium on new mining rights applications was imposed in September last year while an audit was completed of the licences granted since the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act was promulgated.
Department of mineral resources spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said the moratorium expired in all provinces except Mpumalanga on March 31.
The moratorium would be lifted in Mpumalanga in September owing to the extensive work that still needed to be done there.
The new system would be able to accept electronic applications for mining permits, prospecting and mining rights through the department’s website.
The system would also allow for progress reports to be viewed online and for efficient compliance monitoring.
Compliant applicants would be able to instantly receive acceptance letters, and violations of licence conditions would be immediately exposed.
Standardised guidelines and templates for supporting documents had been developed and were available on the department’s website.
The new system would contain all information needed from other government departments, including deeds offices, and it would eliminate the current challenge where rights ended up being granted over environmentally sensitive areas.
A notice would be published in the government gazette this week, said Khumalo.
