Hon Chairperson, since the discovery of the diamonds and gold at the end of the 19th century, mining and mineral resource have defined South Africa. It brought the industrial revolution to the country and it was the need for the land and the labour in the
mining industry we were one of the key reasons while the Black majority were dispossessed of their land. It is because of the importance of the industry to our economy that the current Minister of mineral resource acting on behalf of an Australian mining company want to kick the people of Xolobani of their land. That is why 34 mine workers were killed in Marikana at Lonn Min, when the current President was once a shareholder. The 25 years into democracy and the mining industry, still serve the interest of the white monopoly capital as it always has. This is why we are disappointed in the Minister's decision with the raw minerals and petroleum resource development amendment Bill. The Bill was a unique opportunity to advance the state ownership and sharing in profit of mineral and petroleum resource. It was a unique opportunity to allow for the development of our economy and creation of quality jbs. We cannot continue to have an economy that has extracted mineral resources. Those mineral resources also need to be processed and go through a process of beneficiation so that they can be turned into industrial products that South Africa consumes.
But this government remains intent on keeping our economy in a relationship of dependence with west and the other parts of the world, which only serves the benefit of the capital and not the people of South Africa. This is why mine workers receive poverty
wages. This why the death from mining incidents continue to increase and this why your department withdraw the MPRDA Bill. The EFF rejects this Vote, I thank you.