Captains of mining industry warn policy certainty key to sector's growth in South Africa

THE Minerals Council South Africa has reiterated that the country's mining industry remains a critical pillar of the economy despite ongoing domestic and global uncertainty.

- SIPHELELE DLUDLA

A miner works underground at a platinum mine in Rustenburg, South Africa. REUTERS

(REUTERS)

The Minerals Council’s members account for approximately 90% of South Africa's annual mined production by value, underlining the organisation's influential role in shaping the future direction of one of the country’s most important industries.

During its 136th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, the council called for urgent policy certainty, infrastructure reform and sustainable investment to secure the sector's future growth.

The council's 2025 integrated annual review also outlined the challenges facing the sector, including regulatory uncertainty, infrastructure constraints, rising electricity costs and emerging water security risks.

Minerals Council President Paul Dunne described the current period as one of the most important moments for the country’s mining industry, as government moves to revise the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), first gazetted more than two decades ago.

In May 2025, the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources published the Draft Mineral Resources Development Bill, 2025 (MRDA Bill) for public comment, signalling a major reform of South Africa’s mineral regulatory framework.

“We are living through one of the most important moments in recent years for the South African mining sector,” Dunne said during the AGM. “A fundamental sea change is underway as the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources revises the Act”