The Minerals Council SA to play its role under a new government
Johannesburg. The consideration of a government that places the Constitution at the forefront of collaborative political and societal efforts to grow an inclusive economy and opportunities for all South Africans, is a favourable outcome after free and fair elections that represented the will of the country’s citizens, says Mzila Mthenjane, CEO of the Minerals Council South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his summary of the outcome of deliberations by the African National Congress’s National Executive Committee meeting on a post-election government, stressed the need to “act with speed to safeguard national unity, peace, stability, inclusive economic growth, non-racialism and non-sexism.”
South Africa needs stable national and provincial governments that will advance the interests of all people and to urgently address job creation, inclusive economic growth, high living costs, service delivery and crime and corruption, Mr Ramaphosa said.
Acknowledging that there is still some road to cover to reach agreement on a South African government, the Minerals Council welcomes the ANC’s acknowledgment for this process to include multi-party and multi-stakeholder collaboration, to not only resolve South Africa’s problems, but also to take advantage of considerable investment and inclusive economic development opportunities in the mining industry and other sectors of the economy and progress our transformation imperatives.
The Minerals Council and its members, which account for 90% of annual mineral sales, advocate a constructive, collaborative and trusting relationship amongst government, labour, civil society and the private sector to address the issues Mr Ramaphosa flagged, Mr
Mthenjane says.
In the past year, the government and business groups, including the Minerals Council, have been cooperating to fix South Africa’s energy, rail, road and ports, and crime and corruption crises through committees in the Presidency. These committees of government ministers, their senior officials, leadership of state-owned companies and business leaders, several of them CEOs of mining companies, are making a positive difference.
