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Cape Town - ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa’s focus on ousting President Jacob Zuma means he hasn’t followed up on his comments about attending to the battle over the new Mining Charter.
On Friday, Ramaphosa halted public events in a move that seems to mean he is increasing efforts to force Zuma out.
“The Chamber of Mines confirms that it communicated via a letter to the ANC president shortly after his election ... The chamber has received an acknowledgment of receipt of the letter, but no meeting has yet been set,” said a Chamber of Mines spokesperson.
Chamber president Mxolisi Mgojo confirmed this.
ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe on Friday said he could not confirm if Ramaphosa had seen the letter.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month, Ramaphosa said that the charter would be discussed so that the industry could be “unlocked”.
At the Mining Indaba, the frigid relationship between Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane and the chamber was evident.
Chamber of Mines CEO Roger Baxter said the organisation was maintaining the stance it decided on in September of not engaging with Zwane because the industry had lost confidence in the minister “given the allegations of state capture hanging over his head”.
During a panel discussion, Zwane said: “Where people think there are issues, we are willing to listen to them.”
Baxter said that the chamber had been “engaging key leaders of the ANC”. The chamber this week effectively called for Zwane to be replaced.
When City Press asked Zwane for his reaction to this call, he said: “Tell them I love them.”
There was speculation this week that, given the changes in the leadership of the ANC, Zwane could be on his way out. – Additional reporting by Fin24 and Reuters
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