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BusinessLive writes that new Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe worked his way up from a position as a recreation officer at a mine to general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), giving him a past with challenges and problems and the skills to deal with the industry.
Outsiders point to the urgent need for Mantashe, secretary-general of the ANC for a decade until December, to clean out the ministry of people appointed by his predecessor, the heavily tainted Mosebenzi Zwane, and to restore working relations with the Chamber of Mines and the industry. As ANC chairman he brings political clout to the ministry and possibly the NUM, which will be a useful lever in talks with the Chamber, labour and other parties when negotiating a new Mining Charter. The Chamber was quick to hail Mantashe’s appointment. A sticking point though is his relationship with Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) president Joseph Mathunjwa. Enmity between them led to the formation of Amcu, which displaced the NUM on platinum mines. Mantashe declined to recuse himself from Mathunjwa’s disciplinary hearing following a strike in 1999 at the Douglas Colliery. Mathunjwa refused to appear before the hearing and was thrown out of the NUM. The enmity between them remains. "As a stalwart from the Amcu rival, the NUM, Minister Mantashe is a clear enemy of Amcu, and it is very likely that he would have revenge," Mathunjwa commented.
- Read this report by Allan Seccombe in full at BusinessLive
- See too, Mantashe’s return to mining is welcomed, at Business Report
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page