Parliamentarians call for expediting beneficiation to curb poverty

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Members of Parliament have called on the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources to enable beneficiation in an attempt to relieve unemployment and poverty.

Members debated the 2024/25 budget vote of the department during a mini plenary at the National Assembly.

The department’s budget of over R11 billion is under review.

African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) deputy leader, Wayne Thring and Rise Mzansi leader, Songezo Zibi, were among those who called for expediting beneficiation.

“SA continues to export the bulk of raw material, import finished product while having one of highest unemployment rates in the world, with youth unemployment also on the increase,” says Thring

“It was 17 years ago when I was involved in talking to your officials to regulate the increasing export of beneficiated chrome ore to China. Today China is a major ferrochrome producer at our expense, says Zibi.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, says a scientific study of the state of mining is under way.

Mantashe says the study aims to get a true reflection of what the mining sector in the country looks like.

“In our quest for evidence-based policymaking, we are drafting a report on the state of mining. Doing it deliberately, every lazy mining analyst writes about mining, without facts. commissioning a study of scientific evidence of the state of mining in the country.”