As we engage with
the Mineral Council on an ongoing basis, we are making progress about what should happen in the industry. The DA sometimes keeps this negative narrative about the industry and pretends to be representing even the employers in the industry and you do not represent them. They speak for themselves to us. For something referred to the Fraser Institute and ignore to acknowledge that after we gazetted the charter last year, we jumped 25 spots in our rankings internationally on policy and regulatory certainty and five spots on investment attractiveness. You ignore that and that is a deliberate act on your part.
The question of electricity price and the debate on administrative prices will continue driving that because we think that at the heart of administrative prices we can actually trigger growth in mining industry and manufacturing. Please do not distort the history of Afrikaners in mining for us. We are growing in this country and we know that Union Incorporation and
General Mining was an act of generosity which was equal to Employment Equity Act or Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act today. It was driven by the principle of live and let live and it was sustained. The success of Afrikaners was sustained by the reservation of jobs for scheduled persons. So, do not come here and distort the history of Afrikaners and mining.
We have allocated R20 million for the digitalisation and silencing project as a department and we will work on that. The DA is obsessed that we must come and get a licence in Cape Town. I am beginning to be suspicious because I was taking it seriously first. I am beginning to be suspicious that DA has a share in that company. So I am very nervous about it. When you raised it for the first time I took you seriously but I think you have got a share there.
We will continue providing information on mine health and safety regularly in this House because it is important for people to work in a safe place. When there is improvement, it must be recorded and be acknowledged but work towards the attainment of no fatalities in the mining industry. Every fatality is one too
many. I want to thank the players in the industry who have honoured this Budget Vote and all of you to be here. We will take your ideas. If you put them negative we will convert them into a positive input and use them if they will help. We thank everybody who is here. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
The mini-plenary session rose at 12:00. -----------------------