Mining

Unlocking vast natural resources

The announcement by President Zuma during his State of the Nation address that the government will focus on infrastructure development was greeted with approval and enthusiasm and rightfully so. It is predicted that Southern Africa, especially South Africa and its neighbours Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique, are on the brink of enormous and unprecedented developments over the next few years in the energy and mining sectors.

Read more: Southern Africa

New agreement to catapult Botswana into global player

The agreement between the Botswana Government and De Beers specifying that the world’s biggest and oldest diamond company is moving its rough diamond sorting and trading division, better known as the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) from London to Gaborone, is one of the most important developments in the diamond industry in many years.

Read more: Diamonds

Relentlessly driving the management of mining houses and other industry stakeholders to reach the elusive goal of 26% of black ownership by 2014, with a thinly veiled threat of punitive measures; or constructively engaging the main role-players in a partnership agreement, are the options currently considered in South Africa.

Read more: Black mining ownership

A comprehensive, objective, scientific analysis by neutral observers about the nationalisation of mines is of paramount importance for South African society, simply because of the current stalemate of prejudiced and ideological thinking around the topic on both sides of the spectrum, says Jimmy Manyi, president of the Black Management Forum (BMF).

Read more: Should the state own our mines?