Mantashe urges Africa to assert control over its mineral wealth

By Thebe Mabanga  

Africa needs its leadership, across politics, business, labour and civil society, to assert control over the continent’s mineral wealth and negotiate better terms of access with the rest of the world, including on beneficiation.

This was the view expressed by Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe in his traditional opening address at the 32nd Investing in African Mining Indaba, currently under way in Cape Town.

“This year’s Indaba convenes at a moment of profound global uncertainty. We are witnessing heightened geopolitical tensions, driven largely by competition among some developed economies seeking greater control over the natural resources of developing nations,” Mantashe said.

“This dynamic represents a serious threat to the sovereignty of resource-endowed countries, the majority of which are here on the African continent.”

Mantashe said this context informed the organisers’ decision, under the theme Stronger Together: Progress through Partnerships, to convene the second