Deputy Minister ‘uncomfortable’ at not being consulted

Deputy Mineral Resources Minister Godfrey Oliphant told Radio 702 morning anchor Xolani Gwala on Wednesday that he was “uncomfortable” at having to read about the proposed mineral rights moratorium in the newspapers. Oliphant, who has served as the deputy to three Mineral Resources Ministers, admitted to being left in the dark by Minerals Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, who on July 19 invited submissions on his intention to suspend mining right, prospecting right and Section 11 ownership transfer applications, and their renewal – a move which has set the cat among the pigeons, and which has been roundly condemned as job destroying by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).