The surprise appointment of Mosebenzi Zwane as South Africa’s new Mineral Resources Minister saw Ngoako Ramatlhodi’s 16-month Ministerial spell come to an abrupt end. What is now in store for the hard-pressed mining industry is anyone’s guess. However, at the time of going to press, the new Minister sought to calm nerves by letting it be known through the South African Government News Service that he was well aware of the critical economic role that mining played and that he was convinced that the collective wisdom of role-players was able to provide ample capacity for innovative solutions, the tough current passage of play notwithstanding.