“ WHAT SA MINERS WANT ”
• AFRICAN BUZZ
“ WHAT SA MINERS WANT ”
Mthenjane said ,“ We want to grow , because we want the mining industry to make a better , bigger and more sustainable contribution to the well-being of the people of South Africa , as already illustrated .”
At a media briefing hosted by the Minerals Council at the Investing in African Mining Indaba 2025 on 5 February , CEO Mzila Mthenjane , outlined “ What Miners Want ” and critical steps needed for South Africa ' s mining industry to thrive and contribute significantly to the nation ' s prosperity .
“ The mining industry is the uncontested catalyst of South Africa ’ s economy ,” said Mthenjane , explaining that the Minerals Council , believed that the mining industry has the potential to grow , and in so doing , will take along many other industries such as construction , manufacturing , financial services , transport , manufacturing , agriculture , business , tourism , skills development and education .
What mining achieved in 2024 : Despite significant headwinds , including lower commodity prices and a constrained export channel , South Africa ’ s mining industry contributed significantly to South Africa ’ s economy :
• Mining generated a turnover of R1-trillion ( -9 % from 2023 ) from a diversity of minerals , including precious metals , bulk commodities and industrial minerals ;
• Mining contributed R433-billion ( -2.6 % from 2023 ) to the economy ;
• Mining employed 475 000 people and payed R195-billion in wages and R117-billion in combined taxes and royalties . If the multipliers of ten jobs created in other industries for every job in mining , and with each job supporting four or
five family members – then mining really does matter ;
• Mining achieved a record safety performance ;
• Mining spent several million Rand within local municipalities both within the confines of social and labour plans and beyond on education , health , roads , municipal capacity building and infrastructure .
We want to grow , because we want the mining industry to make a better , bigger and more sustainable contribution to the well-being of the people of South Africa , as already illustrated .
Mthenjane noted that the mining industry ’ s position is further strengthened by the fact that :
• South Africa is the world ’ s largest supplier of platinum group metals , manganese and chrome because of the size of its deposits , it has a wealth of various other metals and minerals which are to date unexplored , and for decades it has dominated gold supply and still has vast available resources ;
• Mining has been intrinsically involved in progress to date on electricity and logistics through the collaboration between business and government ;
• Eskom had 311 days without loadshedding with the private sector providing support and engineers to assist with power plants . The mining industry has a renewable energy pipeline of about 90 projects worth more than R275-billion to generate 15.8GW . As these projects are commissioned in coming years , it will take pressure off the grid , freeing up electricity for the economy .
• Mining companies are the biggest users of rail and harbours – they have therefore played a critical role in collaborating with and assisting Transnet in implementing historic reforms to open its rail network and ports to private sector investment and participation , which will ultimately lift railed tonnes from about 160 million tonnes in the 2024 financial year ( to end-March ) to an aspirational 250 million tonnes before this decade is over ;
• In the unfolding water crisis , mining companies are assisting in Limpopo and Northern Cape to ensure R37-billion in water supply projects are brought to fruition ;
Therefore , said Mthenjane , “ Ask not what the mining industry can do for you , but rather , what you can do for the growth of the mining industry .”
He then explicitly stated what would be required to enable the mining industry to play a strong and competitive game : “ To win for the nation of Mzansi , we want :
• a regulatory environment that encourages local and foreign investment into our prospecting sector , which for the past four years has attracted less than 1 % of global exploration spending ;
• Provisions for exploration companies in the DMPR ’ s review of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act ( MPRDA ), that are fit for purpose for prospecting , junior , mid-tier and major mining companies , encouraging investment through business-friendly laws ;
• The expected and timely introduction of a modern , transparent mining cadastre that will bring South Africa level with other mining jurisdictions in terms of efficiency of licencing to one : urgently manage the backlog
4 • African Mining • March 2025 www . africanmining . co . za