Themed “creating an enabling environment for junior mining and exploration in South Africa” this year’s Junior Indaba, held at the Houghton Hotel, in Johannesburg, scrutinised the recently published strategy and also the junior mining exploration fund.
It emerged from a panel of discussion, that commodities that are prioritised in the junior mining exploration fund, are manganese, copper, graphite, Nickel and REEs.
Mosa Mabuza, CEO of the Council for Geoscience (CGS), said “working with the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources and IDC, we received in excess of 100 plus, excellent applications, and only 37 were shortlisted and these 37 applicants would require about R3.2 billion if they were to be all funded. About six junior miners were awarded for these commodities with an intention to demonstrate what is possible to reimagine exploration.”
Mabuza also said “we want to reduce the exploration period from 20 years to something significantly less.”
The panel was facilitated by Ntsiki Adonis, from Ensafrica’s Natural Resources and Environment Department (ENS) with panelist’s- Jacob Mbele -the DG of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMPR), Mzila Mthenjane -CEO of Minerals Council, and Lili Nupen, Director of Nupen Staude de Vries Attorneys (NSDV).
Young miners then asked about their role in the recently publicized Critical Minerals and Metals Strategy for South Africa, and the Mineral Resources Development Bill of 2025.
In his response, Mabuza said the quality of geology is inconsistent with the development in exploration, and there seems to be a gap which needs to be closed to increase exploration in the country. Secondly, there appears to be “binary views” around conservation development.
“There are many areas that have been delineated for conservation at the expense of development.”
Picture: CGS