JOHANESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The South African government had completed its review of the Mining Charter, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said on Tuesday.

Shabangu said at the annual general meeting of the Chamber of Mines (CoM) that she was aware that the CoM regarded the government's review of the charter as being "unfair" and pledged to give the organisation a chance to provide input, prior to the document being finalised.

When government, labour and business created the charter in 2004 as a transformation blueprint, it was agreed that its provisions of social and labour plans, skills development, employment equity, beneficiation and preferential procurement, would be reviewed five years later.

"We have completed the review of the Mining Charter. I know that the chamber feels that we've been unfair. We will be coming back to you," Shabangu said.

She said that no official process could be conclusive without all the stakeholders making their inputs.

"We believe that you have a critical role to play in the final conclusion of the charter," Shabangu said, adding that the Department of Mineral Resources input would not be taken as final.

"We will consult," she added.

She then immediately drew attention to many near-mine communities continuing to live in abject poverty despite mining having taken place in the vicinity for more than a century.

Successful transformation of the mining industry was impossible if communities continued to live in abject poverty.

"We have to work on how we take forward the 120 years of the chamber in a transformed way," she said.

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