Pretoria - Government has launched a new Mining Charter after an assessment of the former charter revealed certain targets had not been met.
Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said her department had concluded an assessment of the progress of the industry's transformation against the Mining Charter objectives as adopted in 2002.
"The observations are that growth in the mining industry has left much to be desired and transformation within the sector has been disappointingly slow," she said.
White men and women continue to dominate top management and technical positions in the mining industry and earn much more than their black counterparts, regardless of skill and experience. The racial ownership pattern of mining assets has remained largely unchanged, with only 8.9 percent BEE ownership attained by 2009 against the target of 15 percent.
The reviewed Mining Charter seeks to facilitate sustainable transformation, growth and development of the mining industry and puts emphasis on the target of achieving 26 percent of mining assets to be Black Economic Empowerment-owned by 2014.
It also makes provision for the complete elimination of hostels by 2014 and introduces a sustainable element, premised on the understanding that the social license to operate includes the environment, health and safety performance.
The minister said the reviewed Mining Charter represented collaborative work among stakeholders under the auspices of Mining Industry Growth, Development and Employment Task Team (MIGDETT).
The South African Mining Development Association (SAMDA) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have welcomed the new Mining Charter, noting that non-compliance should be dealt with.
Under the new charter, companies found not complying could face penalties which could include the revoking of a mining company's license.
Also as part of transforming the industry, the department has placed a six-month moratorium on all new applications for prospecting mining licenses. The moratorium which took effect from 1 September, will allow the department to review gaps and inefficiencies in the administrative process.
