“I know nationalisation is on the agenda of the ANC and it is only I who can tell you that. Nationalisation will be resolved as a policy position of ANC in 2012.
“When it happens, you should not be shocked. We are in the process of policy formulation,” Malema told Parliament yesterday.
President Jacob Zuma has previously said nationalisation was not an ANC policy. Mining Minister Susan Shabangu said in February this year that there would be no nationalisation in her lifetime.
Malema said the ANC-led government would have to nationalise the mines if it was to generate enough revenue to deliver on promises it made to the electorate.
He said the money currently generated from taxes was not enough to deliver services to the poor.
Malema also said the new industrial policy, which was supposed to create permanent jobs, would be a flop without a cash injection from nationalised mines.
He also said that mineral rights vested in the state should be transferred to the proposed state-owned mining company, which would use them to enter into partnerships with private companies.
This ownership of mineral rights would be in addition to the state-owned mining company owning existing mining interests held by state-owned entities.
In terms of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Act, mineral rights vest in the state and are granted to mining companies under licence, but Malema wants a public company to control these rights.
He also argued before Parliament’s mining committee — which is holding public hearings on the state-owned mining company project — that the company would issue mining licences for greenfield projects, but only on condition of its having 60% of the proposed enterprise.
Malema urged a government moratorium on the issuing of all new mining licences until a state-owned mining company had been established, otherwise private companies would “loot” mineral rights before it could get off the ground.
nationalisation of mines is not a good idea at all,in my point of view i think if the government or the ruling party demand 50% share off to each mines around south africa that would help our nation.
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