The ruling African National Congress (ANC) will appoint two independent researchers to investigate the nationalisation of mines, its secretary-general said on Monday.

"The NEC [national executive committee] has resolved to appoint two senior researchers and a project manager to investigate successful models that could be considered on the role of the state in mining," Gwede Mantashe told reporters in Johannesburg.

"We are engaging the research institutions to provide researchers [for] the project... we are going to try and get researchers who are independent of the ANC," he said, according to SABC radio news.

Mantashe said that the ANC's economic information committee would provide the terms of the reference to the researchers.

The research report would be presented at the end of next year at the ANC's next national conference.

This was resolved at the first NEC meeting after the National General Council meeting in September.