Pretoria - Cabinet says it has noted the court case brought by the Chamber of Mines for the Mining Charter to be declared unconstitutional and void.
The case brought by the Chamber of Mines against the Department of Mineral Resources around contested clauses in the Mining Charter regarding empowerment was postponed in the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday.
The chamber last year approached the High Court for a declaratory order to give guidance on the correct interpretation of the charter obligation on the holder of a mining right to continuously restore the level of ownership by historically disadvantaged persons to 26%.
Cabinet on Thursday said the principles of the Mining Charter remain aimed at transforming the mining industry to redress historical imbalances engendered by apartheid “so that the industry is consistent with the changes in South Africa’s overall transformation of its social, political and economic landscape”.
“Community upliftment is also a key focus area to ensure that mining development does not exclude relevant communities,” said Cabinet. – SAnews.gov.za
