[miningmx.com] — MINES Minister Susan Shabangu is putting a lot of faith in upcoming new legislation to cure the country’s mining ills, according to recent statements she made to investor audiences. She also says she’s not losing sleep over nationalisation.
Shabangu has been criss-crossing the globe during the past fortnight, first addressing a Commonwealth Business Forum on October 27, before jetting off to London for the Deutsche Bank BRICS Metals and Mining Conference.
This was followed by her speaking on Monday at a Mining Ministers forum in Tianjin, China.
On all three occasions she played down the possible threat of nationalisation, saying the ongoing overhaul of South Africa’s regulatory framework and systems would again make the country a sought-after investment destination following the conclusion of the nationalisation issue.
“I, for one, sleep peacefully at night with the knowledge that, when the ANC finalises this matter (nationalisation) next year, they will do so in a manner not dissimilar to the way it handled political economy decisions (post 1994) that have defied the doomsday predictions of our opponents,’ Shabangu told the Commonwealth Business Forum.
In London, she told her audience the calls for nationalisation were taking place in the context of governments seeking bigger endowments from their mineral resources, but that the ANC’s current stance on the issue would not be changed.
“No matter how often our government states the obvious, that nationalisation is neither South African government policy, not is it ANC policy, the controversies and potential fears do not seem to disappear,’ she said. “It is the ANC that is in power and not the sections that make up the broad church that the ANC is. Accordingly, it is ANC policy that will prevail and nothing else.’
She said the report of the ANC research team would be made available “towards the end of 2011′.
As for the ongoing review of the mining licensing regime, Shabangu said the government was serious about creating a single system for processing mineral rights as well as the associated environmental authorisation and water licenses.
“These are critical steps in our attempt to ensure that our mining regulatory system conforms to international best practice,’ she said. “This will go a long way to easing the administrative processes both within government as well as for the mining companies.’
MPRDA REVIEW
She said lawmakers were still in discussion with industry role players over proposed changes to the MPRDA.
“Other areas to be covered in the amendment of the law include the mining of associated minerals, strengthening of the consultation process, partitioning of mineral rights, rehabilitation, as well as alignment with the approved beneficiation strategy,’ she said.
“We are currently having broad discussions on the proposed amendments with industry stakeholders, as well as the relevant state departments.’
As reported earlier in Miningmx, the amended MPRDA would also make provision for the partitioning of mining rights. Shabangu told her Chinese audience that South Africa would also like to develop joint research and development programmes.
“It must be noted that mineral beneficiation will not be limited to the mineral commodities and value chains,’ she said. “The development of globally competitive sectors from these value chains will be derived from dedicated research and development programmes.
“And it is in this area, that partnerships with Chinese firms will be most valued. By developing mineral value chains to these levels, our country’s industrial base will be deepened and broadened which will contribute to the diversification (of) mineral activities away from traditional commodities and non-tradable services.’
