London - Mining Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi said on Monday he expected to start issuing shale exploration licences later this year.
"At the moment we are going through the consultation process (with stakeholders such as communities)," Ngoako Ramatlhodi told Reuters on the sidelines of the Chatham House extractive Industries in Africa conference.
"We should finish the consultations by the middle of this year and that will enable us to issue licences."