Minerals Council harbours concerns about MPRDA review

THE Minerals Council of South Africa CEO, Mzila Mthenjane on Monday acknowledged concerns over possible amendments to the country’s centrepiece mining legislation, the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA).“They are really sore about the once empowered, always empowered and might want to weave in the Mining Charter to address it,” he said of the South African government on the sidelines of the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town.In 2021, the High Court found in favour of the Minerals Council when it ruled that the Mining Charter was an instrument of policy and could not be used to implement new laws through it. This frustrated Government attempts to have mining companies introduce new empowerment partners when applying for a mining licence renewal or extension.Proposed amendments to the MPRDA are currrently in the works, but there’s uncertainty on what Government intends in this installment. “We can’t say with certainty what the changes are as haven’t seen new script,” Mthenjane said in response to questions. “But the indications from talks with the DMPR is that they are positive and constructive,” he said.Tebello Chabana, head of public affairs and transformation at council said that existing mineral rights holders had nothing to fear. “We think these amendments may only affect new applications,” he said. Asked whether it could also apply to prospecting rights where Government has previously said no empowerment was required, Chabana was unsure.Exploration for minerals in South Africa has shrunk drastically. According to Temba Mkhwanazi, regional director for Africa and Australia at Anglo American the “opportunity for exploration is immense” in South Africa.Spending on exploration had shrunk from R6.1bn in 2006 to around R1.2bn in 2023. We still have a long way to go there,” he said.“Our view if you start to think about green economy, the intersect between sun and wind coupled with hydrogen and mineral endowment in South Africa presents a significant opportunity,” said Mkhwanazi.There are green shoots. Junior mining revenues have increased to just under R100bn in 2023 compared to R55bn in 2018, he said. “This bodes well for the sector. The more exploration, the more opportunities to use emerging energy base,” he said.The post Minerals Council harbours concerns about MPRDA review appeared first on Miningmx.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com