The Minerals Council South Africa has established the Associations Leadership Forum to serve the needs of the council’s association members.
These members include the Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa, the Clay Brick Association and the South African Diamonds Producers Organisation (Sadpo), which all represent a number of small miners.
The forum is expected to enhance collaboration among association members, harnessing internal synergies within the Minerals Council and amplifying the voice of this distinct group of members within the mining industry.
“The establishment of this forum is a significant step forward, as it creates, for the first time, an official voice specifically for the smaller surface miners of South Africa, including artisanal miners, within the ambit of the Minerals Council.
“We operate under unique circumstances, vastly different from those of the rest of the industry. The current legislative and regulatory environment is not conducive to our economic viability and our ability to maintain and create much-needed job opportunities,” says Associations Leadership Forum chairperson and Sadpo chairperson Gert van Niekerk.
He adds that the collaboration with the Minerals Council, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and other stakeholders should help ensure an appropriate policy and regulatory environment for small miners.