To better support South Africa’s junior mining industry and assist junior miners, as well as their suppliers and contractors, a new voluntary entity is preparing to launch.

The Junior Mining Council (JMC), based in Centurion, Gauteng, will officially open its doors in August, following a soft launch in May, and will be led by JMC board members SSC Group founder and seasoned mining executive Fred Arendse, former Department of Minerals and Energy director-general Advocate Thabo Mokoena, seasoned labour representative Jimmy Gama and veteran financial and mining executive Martin Schermers.

The junior mining sector is vital to the overall health of the South African mining industry and the new junior mining council believes that more industry bodies are required to assist the junior and emerging miners, contractors, suppliers and the industry at large, within the regulatory environment, says its founding president, Arendse.

“The junior mining industry is large and the current industry bodies cannot assist and service all the junior miners. The role of the JMC will be to complement the current industry bodies”.

The JMC fact sheet outlines that the purpose of the JMC is to represent the interests of the junior mining industry in the mainstream economy by uniting all emerging and junior miners and relevant suppliers behind a common purpose and vision for the sector, and develop and drive relevant programmes of action that will position the junior mining sector at the centre of economic growth and participation in South Africa.

Membership will be open to all emerging and junior mining and exploration companies, professional bodies and suppliers and contractors in the mining sector.

The JMC will offer assistance in attracting and facilitating investment funding; lobbying and improving communication with the media, communities, organised labour, government and all relevant stakeholders; and collaborating with government, relevant departments, State-owned enterprises and other professional bodies to advance the junior mining sector in South Africa; as well as providing a platform to enrich key policy debates and action.

It also aims to enhance and leverage on the available skills and resources to build relevant advocacy capability; provide a platform to grow skills and relevant competencies; create capacity and capability relevant to the junior mining sector; and establish subcommittees and/or a help desk to perform specific functions or address the needs of the wider member corps as they manifest themselves.

The JMC website will go live this month and membership applications will be done online.