Mining deal on the cards for SA

Johannesburg - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has reconvened a meeting of major players in the mining industry, his office said on Tuesday.

A framework agreement for the industry was expected to be signed at the meeting, spokesperson Thabo Masebe said in a statement.

It was scheduled to be held at noon at the Sefako Makgatho presidential guest house on Wednesday.

Motlanthe met mining houses and trade unions last month in a bid to resolve problems in the industry. The framework was discussed at the meeting.

President Jacob Zuma has tasked Motlanthe with leading talks between unions and mining companies. The industry has been plagued by strikes and violence, especially in the Rustenburg platinum belt.

Senior officials of Uasa, Solidarity, the National Council of Trade Unions, the Federation of Unions of SA, the Chamber of Mines, the SA Mining Development Association, the National Union of Mineworkers, and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, were at the meeting.

Several chief executives of mining houses, including Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan of AngloGold Ashanti [JSE:ANG], Sipho Nkosi of Exxaro Resources [JSE:EXX], Simon Scott of Lonmin [JSE:LON], Graham Briggs of Harmony Gold [JSE:HAR], and Chris Griffiths of Anglo American Platinum [JSE:AMS] also attended.

Motlanthe said at the time he was optimistic the parties would reach a solution.

"We will pull together all loose strands, and I am optimistic we will find each other and agree on the issues affecting the industry."

He said the parties would also tackle long-term solutions for the industry.