Pretoria - The Department of Mineral Resources is currently running final tests to ensure that the new system put in place to process new mining applications is in good working order.
This comes after the department had placed a moratorium on new mining applications to allow the new system to be put in place.
The moratorium expires at the end of the month, except for Mpumalanga.
The moratorium was imposed to allow the department to conduct a full audit of all mining and prospecting licences granted since 2004.
At the time the moratorium was imposed, there was a backlog of 26 000 applications.
Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu has given the department 14 days to run final tests before the implementation of the new online prospecting and mining rights application system can be used.
In terms of the new system, the public will submit applications electronically through the department's website and thereafter, they are automatically routed to the relevant region.
With regard to the lifting of the moratorium in Mpumalanga, the department will publish a notice in the government gazette towards the end of this week.
The department has introduced the system in a bid to prevent corruption, among other things.
