STAGE STORMED Practical Radical Economic Transformation members take over the platfrom where Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane was meant to discuss the new Mining Charter
Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane was last month forced to leave a community engagement imbizo in the Steve Tshwete local municipality, in Mpumalanga, without addressing the meeting.
The Minister, who was meant to hear the views of affected communities following the release of the third iteration of the Mining Charter the previous week, left the meeting after being heckled by sections of the audience.
Newly formed civil society organisation Practical Radical Economic Transformation (PRET) secretary-general Sandile Mathebula demanded to know why Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza was not in attendance at the imbizo, accusing the Department of Mineral Resources and Zwane, in particular, of “disrespecting the people” by not having their provincial leader present.
Mathebula raised a number of other issues, chief among them PRET’s concern that the new charter did not hold mines to account for “wrecking our environment” and “causing [people in the community] to die from terrible diseases”.
Soon after Mathebula’s interjections, members of PRET stormed the stage, forcing Zwane to flee through the back entrance.
PRET president Themba Sigudla stressed that the organisation was not against the new charter and was, in fact, in “full support” of it increasing black ownership stakes in mining companies. However, he too was incensed by Mabuza’s absence from the gathering.
Another community group present at the imbizo, the Nkangala Community and Economic Development Forum, was aggrieved by PRET’s disruption of Zwane’s address.
Members of the group told Mining Weekly that they were “outraged” by the “antics” of PRET, which they accused of sabotaging government’s agenda to implement “radical economic transformation”, branding them “agents of foreign and white monopoly capital”.
Mining Weekly canvassed the opinions of people who were present at the gathering and established that a significant number of attendees detested Zwane, branding him a “Gupta Minister”. Some felt slighted that they had not been consulted about the contents of the new Mining Charter prior to its being gazetted; some were not sure what the implications of the new charter would be for them; and others just wanted to hear what the Minister had to say.
There were also some who were “deeply concerned” that the new charter would result in the closure of mines and, thus, increase unemployment in the country.
The 2017 Mining Charter has increased the required level of black ownership at mining companies from 26% to 30%. Additionally, mining prospecting rights will now need to have a minimum of 50% plus one share black ownership, while companies will be required to give 8% of their shares to workers.
The 2017 Mining Charter has instituted a 5% investment of the ‘leviable amount’ on skills development, with 2% to be set aside for essential skills development, 1% to go to South Africa’s historically black academic institutions and 2% to the-yet-to-be-established Mining Transformation and Development Agency.