Mzila Mthenjane
CEO: Minerals Council South Africa
‘Exploration is the highest risk part of the mineral value chain and imposes an unnecessary burden on prospectors’
MZILA Mthenjane’s inbox for 2026 includes talks with the government over proposed amendments to the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA). The Minerals Council has signalled its concerns over the draft – which it sees as a deterrent to investment – and its displeasure that its initial input was pointedly ignored by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR). But the two sides are talking and a new black empowerment requirement for exploration projects – which minerals minister Gwede Mantashe seemed unaware of – has been removed from the draft.
Mthenjane is ideally suited for such talks, with a diplomat’s demeanour honed when he was head of stakeholder relations at Exxaro. This experience is also useful for engagement with the industry’s other stakeholders such as unions and communities. Boosting exploration in South Africa is high on Mthenjane’s agenda and the Minerals Council is hopeful that the new mining cadastre will finally be up and running in 2026 after years of needless delays.
A transparent and functional cadastre is seen by the council as the main tool needed to address a backlog of mining and prospecting backlogs. The ultimate hope is that the cadastre will unlock a new wave of investment into South Africa’s withered exploration sector. This remains to be seen amid suspicions that the DMPR is bucking against the transparency that a proper cadastre will bring to the applications process.
LIFE OF MZILA
When he is not at the office, Mthenjane can often be found tending his garden or riding a bike. An engineer by training, he has wide experience in the mining sector, with various past roles in the gold, PGM and coal sectors. He started his career as a junior mining engineer at the Elandsrand Gold Mine. He went on to take various roles at Rand Merchant Bank and Gold Fields and had a senior role at Royal Bafokeng Platinum before he landed at Exxaro.
