JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) confirmed on Thursday that it had reopened its regional office in Limpopo, following a two-month shutdown.
The Limpopo regional office was closed on June 25 as an “urgent intervention” after staff were allegedly threatened and a bullet was alegedly sent to the regional manager inside an envelope.
During the closure, all administrative operations at the Limpopo office were suspended.
Earlier this week, the DMR also closed its Mpumalanga regional office, following allegations of corruption and complaints relating to backlogs in the issuing of licences.
Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, who has identified the regional offices in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West as priority focus areas, has previously said that a complaint was lodged about an official in the Mpumalanga office who allegedly filed Section 54 notices and demanded financial compensation in return for their lifting.
The official in question has been suspended, pending the conclusion of the investigation.
The closure of the Mpumalanga office will allow the investigation team, set up by the Minister in July, an opportunity to complete its work in the region and to provide feedback to the Minister in due course.
In the meantime, all administrative processes related to the Mpumalanga office are being handled from the DMR’s head office, in Pretoria.