Cape Town - Mineral development cannot happen unless capital is invested by the private sector, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Mining Indaba 2013, she again gave the assurance that nationalisation of mines was neither the policy of the African National Congress, nor that of government.
“The ANC's elective conference of December 2012 also re-confirmed that: nationalisation is not an option for our country,” she said.
The ANC resolution in this regard should bring certainty to our mining industry.
“In this regard, I appeal to you not to try to resuscitate this debate in different forms and guises, which may invariably be marred by differently unhelpful interpretations.
“I would like to affirm that our government is fully conscious of the reality that mineral development cannot happen unless capital is invested by the private sector. There is room for both private and public returns, indeed these are interdependent,” Shabangu said. - Sapa