The prolonged uncertainty created by the introduction of Mining Charter III has left South Africa’s mining industry in limbo, CDH mining law head Allan Reid stated in a recent article, in which he added that an unintended consequence of Mining Charter III is its role in solidifying what historically has been a tenuous relationship between the workforce and the mining houses. Interestingly, this dovetails perfectly with what former leading mining trade unionist Frans Baleni said from the main stage of the Mining Indaba: the charter should be withdrawn so that all key stakeholders could have a serious dialogue about the future of a sustainable mining industry. Our view is that, in the spirit of meaningful dialogue, the unworkable Mining Charter III should be thrown into the nearest dustbin.