Comment
A protagonist
in the twilight
zone
Get in touch
@LeonLouw3
[email protected]
T
he South African mining
industry is stuck in a twilight
zone somewhere between the
Zuma-torpor and Cyril’s ‘new dawn’.
While slowly awakening from a winter
slumber filled with nightmares, it
appears that the industry is still rubbing
its eyes to get rid of the last bit of gunk.
Unsure whether the ‘new dawn’ is for
real, most are trying to make sense of
it all. Many have not yet committed
serious capital for exploration projects
to confirm their willingness to enter a
long-term relationship with the new
South African leadership. And who can
blame them?
Now political and social pariahs,
it was only seven months ago that a
brazen Indian family and a deceptive
quasi-aristocrat called the shots. Since
then, the cabal has been banished and
new ministers appointed. Furthermore
the (new) Minister of Mines has been
consulting with all stakeholders across
the country, and the new President
has unleashed a pack of ‘lions’ to lure
investors to the reinvigorated light of
the South African dawn. It all sounds
like a fable written many moons ago,
when Africa was still the mysterious
continent of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of
Darkness. But it is true, and the reality
will unfortunately take time to sink in.
The fact is that President Ramaphosa
and Minister Mantashe, in a few
months, have made more progress in
getting the country, and especially the
mining industry, on the high road again,
than what Zwane and Zuma could ever
have dreamt of. Mantashe’s urgency in
finalising the Mining Charter is another
feather in his cap. His role in negotiating
a new deal has been immense, and his
stature as non-corruptible politician and
astute negotiator continues growing. He is
highly respected and extremely popular
among communities, labour, mining
companies, and the media, and has been
one of the main protagonists in the
evolution of South Africa’s democracy. I
suspect that Gwede Mantashe’s praises
will be sung long after Zuma, Zwane,
Atul, Ajay, and Duduzani no longer
feature as antagonists in the South
African discourse.
The Mining Charter will not be
perfect, and there will always be a
disgruntled group. But by consulting
widely, and setting deadlines, Mantashe
has proven that government is serious
about getting the show on the road.
Regulatory certainty is a selling point
that would make Manuel, Jonas, Maree,
and Langeni’s (the four lions’) life so
much easier in their endeavour to hunt
down foreign investors.
The rampant Ramaphosa and Mantashe
show will be difficult to contain, but
there are opposition groups hell-bent
on derailing their efforts. They are in
the minority, though, and as the country
enters a new chapter, mining companies
are now in a better position than ever to
throw the dice and hope for the best in
the unfolding South African saga.
Leon
Editor
JUNE 2018 MINING MIRROR
[1]