Pretoria – Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane and the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Hiroshige Seko, have concluded a mining agreement.
The pact is an important bilateral tool that will assist the two countries to collaborate in a number of areas across the mining value chain.
“The areas of cooperation include exploration and the creation of geo-scientific knowledge; reciprocal investments in South Africa and Japan - based on mineral value chain integration; skills development; environmental issues; research and development, and clean coal technology,” the Department of Mineral Resources said on Wednesday.
The agreement was finalised during this year's annual Investing in African Mining Indaba, which is underway in Cape Town.
"With the agreement, the two countries acknowledge that Japan, as an important consumer and investor, and South Africa, as a supplier of minerals and most importantly, a key participant in the mineral beneficiation value chain, have complementary interests in mining.
"Our country cannot grow exclusively on the back of supplying raw minerals to other nations. It is in this context that we wish to invite Japanese companies to invest in South Africa’s downstream mineral development industries, effectively manufacturing and beneficiation as well as production of goods and supply of requisite services," Minister Zwane said.
He said that the agreement would serve to strengthen the positive and long-standing political and economic ties to create mutually beneficial economic relations. – SAnews.gov.za
