Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has emphasised the importance of partnerships between mining companies, labour as well as communities, in order for mining to be sustainable. Speaking at the provincial Mining Indaba taking place in Newcastle on the 18th and 19th April 2018, Minister Mantashe indicated this would ensure that we realise our objective of a meaningfully transformed, competitive and growing mining sector.

 “It’s not competitiveness and growth versus transformation. Both are required in order for the sustainability of the sector,” Minister Mantashe said. KwaZulu-Natal currently has 23 operational mines, operating mainly in coal, heavy mineral sands as well as sand and aggregate.

“Mining is one of the key sectors that can assist us to create more black businesspeople, in order for the economy to be more balanced.”

 The Minister further emphasised the importance of rehabilitation of mining sites, which have the potential to create jobs, while restoring the land that has been mined.

Issued by the Department of Mineral Resources