Every Friday, SAfm’s radio anchor Sakina Kamwendo speaks to Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News & Mining Weekly. Reported here is this Friday’s At the Coalface transcript:

Kamwendo: Mining can work wonders for the people of South Africa, Minerals Council South Africa pointed out this week.

Creamer: This was the 136th Annual General Meeting of Minerals Council South Africa, 136 years of mining. What they are saying at this point in time, is that South African mining has not been growing the way it should have in the last 22 years because of policy that is not competitive. They are saying that with competitive policy, the South African mining industry  will be able to give South Africa economic growth, it will be able to give South Africa skills, and it will be able to give South Africa jobs.

This is because the mining sector is a colossal economic multiplier that is able to boost everything from banking to manufacturing to industry to even catering, which mining does on a very big scale. What we need, they say, is policy reform and they are holding thumbs, because at the moment there is an Amendment Bill coming through. They are hoping that this proposed new legislation will take away the red tape and start giving mining a bit of red carpet at a time when mining is becoming extremely important globally. We see countries around the world wanting to start to do

their own mining whereas South Africa is so far advanced in mining. It’s had 136 years of it. If the country can be rendered more competitive through policy reform, there will be much more investment, which will be of enormous benefit to the people of this country, all of them, because mining floats all boats.

Kamwendo: South Africa’s mining industry is encouraged by the positive nature of its engagements with government.

Creamer: South Africa’s mining industry is holding thumbs very tightly that policy reform is on the way, but they also saying that they need to be able to be assured of getting mineral rights far quicker. They want a one stop mineral rights shop, because the number of hoops they have to go through at the moment just extend the time.

It takes ages to get approvals from a large number of different government departments, and once you are through, it still takes another ten years to get a mine built. The application process for mineral right attainment is something that has got to be speeded up and what they are saying is, with disciplined policy reform, modernisation and partnerships, mining can anchor and elevate South Africa's economic development, advance industrial capability and assure social progress. So, they’re pleading, and they’re hopeful.

Kamwendo: Money was raised this week to revive an old copper mine in South Africa’s mineral-rich Northern Cape.

Creamer: Yes, R180-million was raised for this mine. It is a mine that was closed in 1991 and this is one of the advantages of South Africa, being in a mining for so long. This operation was there from about 1971 but it closed in 1991, because the copper price went down. Orion Minerals is now about to reopen it, which is great news for the Northern Cape and this is the Prieska Copper  Zinc Mine, near Copperton, and that money will also go towards the development of future mines in Okiep, also in the Northern Cape.

We see at Okiep another company, Copper360, reported that its losses are narrowing, which means that it is starting to get into a situation where it can do well with copper in our Northern Cape, where emerging copper mining is going to be great for the country.

Kamwendo: Thanks very much. Martin Creamer is publishing, editor of Engineering News & Mining Weekly.