28 June 2025
Honourable Speaker,
INTRODUCTION
Today, as the ANC, we have sat and listened to misconceptions and statements that have been uttered to sway the house’s decorum and derail the day’s mandate. While some in the opposition speak prophecies of doom about mining’s demise, shortfalls of the regulatory framework and other conspiracies they continue to conjure up, we stand firm in our conviction and confidence in the department. This budget vote is about mining for tomorrow and not being embroiled in today’s politics.
The government’s Critical Minerals Strategy 2025 is a pivotal stride to prioritise local value addition to our minerals. This strategy aims to move South Africa beyond mere extraction to complete value chain development, further moving away from the Pit-to-Port route. These are not speculative initiatives but concrete programs with allocated funding and measurable targets.
This year’s R120 million exploration fund will accelerate our Critical Minerals Strategy and will assist in identifying and developing critical minerals essential for renewable energy technologies.
Programme 4
The Mining, Minerals and Petroleum Policy Development Programme, with a total budget allocation of R1.22 Billion, serves as the policy engine driving transformation and economic growth in South Africa’s minerals and petroleum sector. This programme prioritises legislative reform and strategic resource management.
Honourable Speaker, legislation in the mineral and petroleum space plays a crucial role. Programme 4’s critical deliverables include submitting three landmark bills
- the Petroleum Products Amendment Bill
- Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Bill, and
- Diamond Amendment Bill, for Cabinet approval, paving the way for parliamentary processing or public consultation.
The programme will also address sectoral revitalisation through a Cabinet report on smelter viability and a revival plan, while advancing energy security through biofuels pricing regulations and a draft strategic stock policy.
Regulatory reform under the ANC has struck the delicate balance between attracting investment and ensuring irreversible transformation. We present an undeniable record of success to those who criticise our state-led approach to beneficiation and SOE reforms. Groundbreaking strides from the SANPC are a testament to this.
WRAPPING UP
Building a resilient mining sector requires addressing both legacy challenges and future opportunities. We endorse the R239 million investment in mine health and safety, which has produced the lowest fatality rate in history. The Department’s Social and Labour Plan enforcement has delivered 132 community projects in mining areas this year alone, from clinics to vocational training centres. At the same time, we continue to encourage the department in future-proofing the sector through skills programs in automation and mineral beneficiation, ensuring mineworkers’ children have opportunities beyond underground labour.
Our progressive position on mining and petroleum development stems from our fundamental belief that South Africa’s resources must serve all its people. Our policies and resolutions ensure that innovation creates jobs rather than costs them.
Honourable Speaker, the opposition’s dismissal of state-led industrial policy indicates a lack of understanding or refusal to acknowledge the progress and tangible results of such policies. This attitude may stem from either a “wilful ignorance”, where factual evidence is ignored, or an “ideological blindness”, where preconceived beliefs prevent recognition of the policy’s benefits and achievements. Whatever the case may be, it does not take away the progressive achievements of the department and their displayed commitment to change.
CONCLUSION
This budget vote is significant milestone in our ongoing journey towards a stronger, more sustainable mineral and petroleum sector. The total budget allocation has been crafted to strike a balanced focus on regulation and transformation, ensuring that we have the necessary tools to build upon our previous progress while effectively addressing the remaining challenges. The ANC proudly endorses this budget as a forward-looking blueprint, designed to foster an inclusive industry that can adapt to future demands and opportunities.
The ANC supports the Budget Vote.