Government had failed to play an effective facilitative role and to create a predictable and stable environment in the local mining industry, Webber Wentzel partner and head of Africa mining and energy projects Peter Leon said during a roundtable discussion on the mining industry, broadcast on Talk Radio 702 and hosted by Redi Thlabi.
In response to a question on what government’s role should be in the mining industry, he said a failure to deal with these concerns could lead to another Marikana.
Exxaro CEO Sipho Nkosi commented that there was no doubt that South Africa was not in a good space in terms of its relationships with shareholders at present.
He pointed out that there was a perception that government was not doing enough to stabilise the mining sector and that the application of laws was inconsistent.
Nkosi said government was responsible for providing clarity in terms of where the industry was headed and to ensure that all role-players adhered to the relevant laws.
He stressed that if investors perceived South Africa to be a lawless State, the industry would not be able to attract further investment.
However, he was encouraged by the fact that representatives of mining companies and labour unions had come together recently in a meeting chaired by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe to work on resolving the issues facing the sector.