Those who have for too long consistently stood in the way of South Africa seizing mining opportunities should be moved out of the way fast. There was a time when a deputy director-general revealed in what he presumably imagined was an appropriate forum that he had been placing the expansion applications of one very large mining group in his bottom draw, and gladly taking on the criticism that he was inefficient.
One senses that such attitudes have not yet been expelled at departmental level but need to be vigorously expelled at high speed right now to create employment, reduce inequality, and tackle poverty. It must be put at top of mind that South Africa’s surprise R185-billion tax windfall that is now underpinning the crucial payout of social grants stems from the huge taxes and shared value that the South African mining industry has been able to provide.
With commodity prices rising, pressure must be applied to ensure that mining applications and exploration backlogs are eliminated, and mining expansion enabled in red carpet style.