Govt committed to clearing mining, prospecting and mineral rights backlog – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says government understands the need to move with urgency to remove the red tape that stands in the way of the mining industry’s growth and development.

Ramaphosa was speaking at the annual Mining Indaba taking place in Cape Town on Tuesday.

He was speaking under the theme “Evolution of African Mining: investing in the energy transition, ESG, and the economies.”

Ramaphosa said government is firmly committed to fulfil its responsibilities and to remove all impediments to the growth, sustainability and prosperity of the mining industry.

“We need to clear the backlog of mining and prospecting rights and mineral rights transfer applications and put in place a modern much more efficient cadastral system and implement an effective exploration strategy”.

Ramaphosa said the future of mining on the African continent holds great promise for investment, for industrial development and for growth.

“We have a shared responsibility as governments, as mining companies, as labour and as communities to realise that promise. We are firmly committed to ensuring that mining occupies its rightful place as an industry of the future.”  

Ramaphosa said government was also working to further cut red tape for the registration of projects, to accelerate environmental approvals and to strengthen the capacity of Eskom and municipalities to link such projects to the grid.

“According to the Minerals Council South Africa, around 4 000 MW or R65 billion of such electricity generation capacity investment is in the pipeline.

Ramaphosa said since the last Mining Indaba, government has made significant headway in driving a programme of policy reform for the network industries that are inextricably tied to mining and its operations.

The president said the programme is being coordinated through Operation Vulindlela, an initiative of the Presidency and National Treasury, working in partnership with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and other departments.

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