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The appointment of the new director-general of mining resources, Advocate Thabo Mokoena, took the Chamber of Mines by surprise.
While the chamber acknowledged that the minister was entitled to appoint a director-general it said on Friday that it was in the dark as much as the public about the appointment.
The position of mineral resources department director-general has been vacant for more than a year.
Mokoena is a former head of administration of the Free State legislature, and holds an LLB degree from the University of Western Cape. However, the chamber said the new director-general did not possess any mining credentials or related experience.
“There are concerns regarding the director-general’s depth of knowledge due to him not having a mining background,” the chamber said in a statement.
“The director-general’s lack of experience might pose challenges towards maintaining the position’s role, such as a mineral resources charter that has many unworkable targets, static investment and falling employment.”
The department of mineral resources was contacted numerous times for comment on the new appointment, but City Press kept getting passed from pillar to post.
A department employee, Kefilwe Chibogo, said the deputy minister was in a meeting but would be available for comment later.
Later, City Press was passed from the director general’s office to its communication office – but calls to this office went unanswered.
James Lorimer, the Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson on mineral resources, expressed his misgivings that “appointing people with no relevant credentials is a habit in the department of mineral resources”.
“Both Minister Mosebenzi Zwane and deputy director-general Seipati Dlamini embarked for the mining industry without the required mining experience. Hence, the DA is not impressed with the appointment,” he said.
This isn't the first time Zwane has made a controversial appointment. Zwane – who was widely perceived to be one of the Gupta family’s “appointments” in the Cabinet – appointed Dlamini in November last year, apparently without following procedure and against all the prerequisites governing the appointment of state officials at this level.
Read: Mosebenzi Zwane in controversial DG appointment
Lorimer added that the mining industry was already facing challenges.
“Investments are declining and shrinking job numbers require new strategies to stay afloat. Therefore the department of mineral resources doesn’t need someone without in-depth knowledge as a leader.
‘‘We conclude from this that the viability of the mining industry as a provider of state revenue and jobs is not seen as important by the ANC. Instead, it is deploying people who will not stand in the way of the capture of resources by cronies of the ruling faction of the ANC.”
The result of this action would be measured in loss of income and job losses, he said.
