In September, Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane told a mining conference in Australia that the changes to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) would be made in December. But a senior Parliamentary official has since made it clear that Parliament will miss Zwane’s internationally highlighted mineral resource law-passing plan. Just as well, because, if Mining Charter III is anything to go by, the less the current Ministry and the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) have to do about rejigging the MPRDA, the better. Both the Ministry and the DMR need to be made aware that making false promises adds to the uncertainty that is already pervasive.