Modern Mining March 2022

to the NEMA Act and the deteriorating security situ- ation, including illegal mining and cable theft, at the mines. “The Minerals Council has a comprehensive strat- egy in place to counteract criminal activity and we have junior representatives sitting on these security committees,” Mitchell explains. The JEMD provides annual webinars to a wide audience on subjects relevant to the sector, includ- ing new technological innovations that are useful to junior miners. “The webinars are well supported,

and include two female CEOs and a number of female COOs. In addition, a number of our members are fully black-owned and managed companies.” Given the lengths to which the JEMD goes to assist its members, it’s no wonder that membership is growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, in a bid to further assist its members, the JEMD will soon be launching a new mentorship programme which will see its larger member companies mentoring and supporting junior members. “In this way we will keep mentorship in-house.

Junior miners complain of long delays in the granting of mining and prospecting rights.

Energy metals such as platinum, copper, manganese and nickel are abundant in South Africa.

Our previous efforts at mentorship using retired executives had a rea- sonable level of success, so we have revitalised the process.” Mitchell is also quick to point out the effectiveness of the JEMD’s Leadership Forum which meets quarterly, and adds that the chair of the forum sits on the board of the Minerals Council. “This means that junior mining is firmly on the agenda in the overall strategy of the Minerals Council.” Aside from distributing information to its members, the JEMD provides expert advice on new policy require- ments through its various specialist departments at the Minerals Council and addresses frequent queries from its members. Queries are often related to the implications of the amendments

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