Greater government intervention in mining research, development needed – Netshitenzhe
More needs to be done in terms of government support and collaboration in the field of mining research and development (R&D).
This is emphasised by African National Congress (ANC) executive committee member and Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (Mistra) executive director Joel Netshitenzhe in his working paper, Towards Mining Vision 2030.
He points out that South Africa’s capacity to develop and produce world-class mining methods, products and services through government support was built during the pre-1994 era and that this tapered off after the attainment of democracy.
Some of the causes for the tapering pertain to poor alignment between the departments of Science and Technology and Trade and Industry, as well as the lack of focus, poor government support, and the “degrading” of institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research: Mining Technology, better known as Miningtek.
This resulted in Australia increasingly becoming the location of choice for R&D on the part of South African firms and, indeed, South Africans themselves, Netshitenzhe states.
“There have been conscious attempts, through Mining Phakisa and the setting up of Mining Equipment Manufacturers South Africa, to reverse this situation. However, though R100-million had been earmarked for mining R&D for 2018 . . . this pales into insignificance compared to the estimated R4-billion that other developing mining countries spend.”
Netshitenzhe proposes that Mining Vision 2030 include the allocation of more resources for R&D, and better coordination between ‘blue sky’ research and industrial policy.
“The 31 initiatives around platinum group metals-based fuel cell technology – ranging from research support to the operationalisation of technology and the establishment of special economic zones – demonstrate the potential in this regard.”
However, Netshitenzhe stresses the need to cut the time between the conceptualisation of industrial strategies and implementation, and to set clear guidelines on localisation and corresponding human resource development strategies.
“The institutional domains of government, universities and industry, in addition to executing their customary objectives, [must] assume the roles of the other actors with deliberate knowledge and operational flows among these partners.”
Netshitenzhe notes that the ‘State Intervention in the Minerals Sector’ report – a 2012 ANC policy document – argues for the reinvestment of a significant portion of mining taxes into the training of engineers, artisans and technicians, as well as championing deliberate strategies to discourage the emigration of research and technical skills.
He states that R&D, as a long-term vision, should address issues across the value chain of the mining industry and its environment. “This includes interrogation of global market demand and tailoring activities to extract maximum benefit.”
It should also extend to geosurvey expertise and focus on the political economy of the sector, including its history, changing demographics of the workforce and labour relations, incentivisation of workers and general inclusivity.
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