Ramaphosa pushes for mineral beneficiation to boost jobs

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa is advocating for the processing of SA’s mineral resources in the country and the export of finished products rather than raw materials.

This proposal mirrors that of his party’s youth league, which has called for at least 70% of raw materials to remain in SA, citing it as a solution to socioeconomic challenges, particularly the high levels of unemployment among the youth.

Ramaphosa said SA should not continue exporting most of its unprocessed materials.

“When we mine our minerals, we must at least beneficiate many of them here and export the finished products so that other countries buy products made in SA. That is the task we are taking up and addressing,” Ramaphosa told supporters at the Athlone Civic Centre in Cape Town on Wednesday, where the ANC is holding its 113th anniversary celebrations.

The main rally will take place on Saturday.

He highlighted the issue of youth unemployment, saying almost 60% of the unemployed were young people.

“The ANC has a task to ensure we address the unemployment challenge faced by young people. We must open up opportunities for them and listen to their needs.”

Despite being one of the world’s wealthiest nations in terms of mineral resources, SA continues to face high poverty levels. The country is one of the world’s largest producers of platinum group metals, manganese, chromium, gold, aluminosilicates, ferrochromium, vanadium and other critical minerals. 

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