Under-fire Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane could be forced to water down or drop his controversial amendments to the Mining Charter because of fears more jobs will be lost in the industry.
The Chamber of Mines met some ANC officials at the party’s headquarters, Luthuli House, to express their unhappiness with Zwane.
The minister was not present at yesterday’s meeting, led by ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.
The Chamber of Mines, which has been left seething, said it intended to forge ahead with legal action that seeks to prevent the reviewed Mining Charter from being implemented.
The new amendments, among other things, raised the black ownership target from 26% to 30%.
On a procurement level, it requires 70% of all mining goods to be from Black Economic Empowerment entities while on employment equity it wants 50% black board members and 25% of them to be women.
ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa told Independent Media that a consensus had not yet been reached between the parties. The mining industry was already shedding jobs at an alarming rate and the management of the charter was vital on the impact on employment and the economy, he said.
The chamber’s chief executive, Roger Baxter, said there was a need to continue the industry’s transformation journey.
“The industry remains committed to transformation as a national imperative. But it needs to be based on workable targets and guidelines that enable an effective transformation process proceeding in a competitive and growing industry.”
As we have previously indicated, the DMR charter fails in this respect,”
The Chamber said its lawyers have in the meantime asked the Deputy Judge President of the High Court in Gauteng to re-enroll its application for a declaratory order over the continued consequences of black empowerment issues.
Zwane yesterday insisted he had spoken to everyone on the final amendments including the ANC’s top six saying all of them agreed to itZwane said he was willing to engage with his party for further discussions.
He is expected to present his budget for debate in Parliament today.
The Department of Mineral Resources said it had not received any further formal objections to the Charter.