The vast bulk of mining company shareholdings – probably more than 95%, particularly in respect of larger companies – is not owned by individuals or their companies, but by huge pension funds and provident funds, local and foreign. These shares, along with those held individually by South Africa’s black economic empowerment (BEE) partners, must be allowed to be traded freely, otherwise their values will fall. But new Minerals Minister Mosebenzi Zwane wants to perpetuate the curbing of the value of mining shares by forcing BEEs to sell to other BEEs. If that does not happen, as has regularly been the case, he wants companies to issue more shares and thus dilute the value of the pension and provident funds in which millions of mineworkers are invested. Dispense with the straightjacket, Minister, or stand accountable for significantly damaging the industry you are obliged by your position to enable.