[Miningmx.com] — The Chamber of Mines on Wednesday welcomed Minister of
Mineral Resources Susan Shabangu’s budget vote for 2011/2012, which included
initiatives for the industry.
Shabangu identified critical issues the mining industry had been grappling with to
enhance mining in South Africa, given the twin objectives of sustainable growth and
meaningful transformation, the chamber’s CEO Bheki Sibiya said.
“The minister’s presentation demonstrated the depth of her understanding of the
challenges facing the industry and she put forth sophisticated proposals which have
the potential to spur further growth of the industry,” he said in a statement.
Shabangu’s recognition of the importance of a co-operative approach was “very
encouraging”.
“We look forward to engaging the minister and her department as we continue
exploring ways of ensuring that the mining industry continues to grow and address
the challenges of wealth and job creation in partnership with government.”
A budget of R1.036bn had been allocated, an increase of R40m from the previous
budget.
She said the budget would, among other things, go towards electrical and
mechanical engineering, geology, metallurgy, mineral law and economics and
environmental science.
About R147m of the budget would be spent on mine health and safety, R160m on
mineral regulation and R480m on mineral policy and promotion.
