Department Of Mineral Resources And Mines
Department Of Mineral Resources And Mines, The Department of Mineral Resources is a department of the national government of South Africa which is responsible for overseeing the mining industry of South Africa and the exploitation of the country’s mineral resources. The department’s origins lie in the creation in the 1890s of the “Department van Mijnwezen” (Department of Mining) in the government of the Transvaal Republic.
It has existed under its current name since 2009 when the Department of Minerals and Energy was divided and the Department of Energy was created. As of 2013 the political head of the department, the Minister of Mineral Resources is Ngoako Ramatlhodi and his deputy is Godfrey Oliphant.
ABOUT THE MINE HEALTH AND SAFETY INSPECTORATE
The Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate was established in terms of the Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (Act No. 29 of 1996), as amended. The aim is to execute the constitutional mandate of the Department of Mineral Resources to protect and safeguard the health and safety of mine employees and communities affected by mining operations.
The inspectorate is headed by the Chief Inspector of Mines, who is also the Chairperson of the Boards of the Mine Health and Safety Council and the Mining Qualifications Authority.
The Inspectorate has a head office component with ten regional offices located in the nine provinces of South Africa.
Each regional office is headed by a Principal Inspector of Mines.
The regional offices and Principal Inspectors of Mines report to a Deputy Chief Inspector of Mines and these are divided as follows:
- Central and Coastal Regions include the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape regional offices.
- Central and North-Eastern Regions include the Free State, Limpopo and Mpumalanga regional offices.
- Western Regions include the North West: Klerksdorp, North West: Rustenburg and Western Cape regional offices.