It is good that government is freeing mineral exploration from the regulatory burdens of the mining industry as a whole, because a massive amount of catch-up has to take place for the country to keep its mining at critical mass. Against the backdrop of its exceptional mineral endowment, the mining industry should represent a lot more than 4% of South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP). As Eunomix CEO Claude Baissac points out, there is scope for mining to double that GDP contribution, which would create tens of thousands of jobs, lift tax revenues and increase exports. Too little mining in the South African context is a wasted economic opportunity. So, let’s end the exploration vacation and take advantage of the absence of red tape in that section of the industry