Rustenburg: Deputy Minister in The Presidency Kenny Morolong has called for mining to be used as a catalyst for structural transformation. 'Mining must become the foundation on which we build a diversified and industrialised economy. The world's most successful resource economies have used mining as a catalyst for manufacturing, engineering services, logistics hubs and research institutions,' Morolong said on Thursday in Rustenburg, North West. Addressing the Bojanala District Economic Development Symposium, the Deputy Minister challenged the district to look beyond extracting raw minerals and sending them elsewhere for processing, manufacturing and export.

According to South African Government News Agency, Morolong noted that mining remains the dominant economic sector in Bojanala and continues to drive output, exports, investment, and employment. 'Mining must become the foundation on which we build a diversified and industrialised economy,' the Deputy Minister reiterated. He emphasized that the economy that emerged under apartheid concentrated ownership, wealth, and productive assets in the hands of a minority while excluding the majority of South Africans from meaningful participation in economic activity.

Morolong highlighted that the discovery of diamonds in Kimberley in 1867 and gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886 transformed South Africa into one of the world's leading mining economies. 'Mining became the foundation on which railways, ports, financial institutions, manufacturing industries, and modern cities were built. However, this economic growth was not inclusive,' the Deputy Minister observed. He pointed out that three decades later, inequality in South Africa remains stubbornly high.

"The challenge before us is therefore not merely economic growth; it is economic transformation. Transformation requires us to fundamentally change patterns of ownership, production, investment, skills development, and economic participation," Morolong stated. He emphasized that South Africa needs both growth and transformation.

According to the South African Reserve Bank and the International Monetary Fund, South Africa's economy remains resilient, but growth is still too low to significantly reduce unemployment, poverty, and inequality. 'We need to urgently industrialise our economy, deepen localisation, and strengthen domestic backward linkages, especially in the mining value chain. We must expand opportunities for small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs), cooperatives, women-owned enterprises, youth-owned enterprises, and black industrialists. We must strengthen municipal capability and improve infrastructure to ensure that economic growth translates into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary South Africans,' Morolong concluded.