Pretoria - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has concluded his working visit to the United Kingdom, his office said on Tuesday.
The main objective of the visit was to promote investment in South Africa, especially in the mining sector.
The mining industry plays a significant role in South Africa's economy, being a critical earner of foreign exchange, making up 40 percent of South Africa's export basket and employing over half a million people.
“The Deputy President, together with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu and International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim held meetings with various groups made up of investors, bankers, asset managers, analysts and mining companies,” Motlanthe’s spokesperson Thabo Masebe said.
Motlanthe and his delegation used the visit to highlight progress made by government, labour and business in their efforts to stabilise the South African mining sector and set it on a sustainable footing.
“The Deputy President emphasised that under the current economic conditions, South Africans are determined to work together and use dialogue in an all-inclusive approach to set the economy, and in particular, the mining sector onto a sure footing that leads to sustainable growth and development,” Masebe said.
While some of the investors raised concerns about the intentions of the proposed amendments to Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, Motlanthe assured them that government approaches this matter with an open mind and that such concerns would be addressed.
“The Deputy President reassured the investors that the South African government, together with social partners, will do everything legally permissible to stabilise and grow the mining sector,” said Masebe. - SAnews.gov.za
