THE Zambezi Protocol was developed on the banks of the river of that name at a meeting hosted by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo. Its opening lines state: "Africa’s mining sector is in crisis. At its root is a lack of trust between mining companies, governments and, indeed, the very nations they lead. A failure to tackle the crisis will result in serious, adverse implications for both economic growth and employment prospects at the moment when the continent’s needs are rapidly increasing."The Zambezi Protocol challenges industry stakeholders to develop a vision of what a sustainable, successful industry should look like. And it challenges us to a great deal of introspection and honesty. I would like to suggest a three-step road map.The first step is acknowledging our past. The mining industry was a flywheel in the development of the South African economy. The industry has played, and continues to play, a significant role in our national and regional economies. But can we...
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