The mining industry is seething because its objections to the new draft mining charter were completely ignored. On the other hand, the oil and gas sector has been cheered by government’s response to some of its complaints about the Mineral & Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) Amendment Bill. The MPRDA amendments have been under discussion since 2010. But when a final version was agreed in 2013, it was delayed because President Jacob Zuma expressed doubts about the constitutionality of certain provisions and the need for consultation with the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and House of Traditional Leaders. In March the ANC leadership decided it had to speed up promulgation of the bill. At a recent NCOP briefing on the amendments, minerals minister Mosebenzi Zwane and his team said three contentious areas relating to oil and gas would be addressed. First, they have decided not to abolish the Petroleum Agency SA, which regulates oil and gas exploration and production act...
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