The Chamber of Mines (CoM) has announced that it will seek an interdict to suspend the implementation of the reviewed Mining Charter which was released by the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) to the public today (Thursday).
The organisation believes that the process followed in the development of the Mining Charter was seriously flawed. “Unlike previous Charters, where stakeholders in the sector worked together to produce a stakeholder-agreed charter, the DMR chose from the outset to produce and publish its own draft in April 2016 without engaging the industry in its conception,” said CoM spokesperson, Charmane Russell.
Prior to today, the Chamber – which represents 90% of South Africa’s mines – had never laid eyes on the reviewed Mining Charter since the 2016 draft copy. It noted that the Mining Industry Growth Development and Employment Task Team (MIDGETT) – under which most of the negotiations and discussions about the charter are held – had been dormant for over a year until a meeting was called for this morning which the CoM refused to attend.
The reason it did not attend the meeting was because its office bearers would not be coopted into participating in an attempt by the DMR to provide any support into what it believed had been a flawed process, the CoM said.
Russell emphasised that the organisation completely rejected the “unilateral imposition” of the charter on the mining industry.
“The lack of meaningful engagement with the industry, and collective engagement with all stakeholders, has been most disappointing,” said CoM president, Mxolisi Mgojo.
