Radical elements within South Africa’s ruling ANC have been campaigning for outright nationalisation of the country’s mines. In part-response,  Mines’ Minister Susan Shabangu, claims that securing a 26% “black ownership” (BEE) of the mining industry as a whole will be fulfilled by 2014.
But Ms Shabangu has an uphill task: less than 9% of mines actually met this target in 2009. She says: “One problem has been companies that got into the sector with little or no experience, that were not viable or that were seen as fronts for white capital. Mine safety is another major issue…the pursuit of profits [is] behind a mounting death toll in the industry”.
Among the major London-listed companies active in South Africa are Anglo American, AngloGold Ashanti, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata.
See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11131&l=1.