/ 11 November 2011

Mining probe wrapped up

A team of independent researchers appointed to probe the viability of nationalising South African mines has completed its work and is expected to hand over its findings to the ANC’s policy committee on Friday.

The research team, which included independent researcher Paul Jordan, University of the Witwatersrand researcher Pundy Pillay and Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu from the Human Sciences Research Council, has just returned from China.

Beleaguered ANC Youth League president Julius Malema’s fate is rocky as he faces a five-year suspension pending an appeal. See exactly what the disciplinary committee had to say, while M&G deputy editor-in-chief Rapule Tabane’s analyses the watershed moment.

ANC spokesperson Keith Khoza said the researchers would hand their findings to the ANC’s policy committee, chaired by Jeff Radebe, minister of justice and constitutional development.

“They have completed their research and will submitting their findings to the policy committee,” said Khoza.

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said the research team covered all the countries that were identified by the party’s national executive committee (NEC), such as Zambia, Namibia and Botswana. The team also visited Chile, Brazil and Venezuela as well as Sweden, Norway and Finland.

“In Australasia they conducted research in Malaysia, Australia and China,” said Mantashe.

The research was commissioned after a resolution taken at the party’s national general council in Durban last year which mandated the NEC to conduct research into state intervention in the economy and “to report to the policy conference for [a] decision at [the]national conference in 2012”.

Some opponents of the policy say it is not a recipe for development and its adoption would scare away much-needed foreign direct investment. Others say it is a ploy by the ANC Youth League to bail out struggling BEE companies.

The league and its now-suspended fiery president Julius Malema have been leading the call for President Jacob Zuma’s administration to adopt a policy of mine nationalisation to redistribute wealth and benefit the poor, including an army of unemployed youths. — Charles Molele

For more news and multimedia on ANC Youth League president Julius Malema view our special report.