JOHANNESBURG - A group of South African mining communities will challenge the government’s Mining Charter and seek a court order to ensure they are involved in drafting any replacement.
About 150 community-based organisations and activists, represented by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (Cals), will apply to join an existing case brought by mining companies against the charter, the legal group said. Cals is also seeking a declaratory order that mining-affected communities “are recognised as a key stakeholder and must be
meaningfully engaged when developing any new charter.”
The new Mining Charter, which was published in June and has been strongly opposed by the industry, puts extra levies on companies and increases black-empowerment requirements.
Department of Mineral Resources, Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, has agreed not to implement the charter until there’s a judgment in the judicial review sought by Chamber of Mines, which represents mining companies. The review is scheduled to begin in December.