In response to an increasingly complex regulatory and policy environment, senior leaders across South Africa’s mining and original equipment manufacturing (OEM) sectors are being invited to participate in two focused, outcomes-driven workshops to be held on February 5, 2026, in Johannesburg.

Hosted by the industry association OEM Mining Supply Forum in collaboration with the Minerals Council South Africa, the workshops are positioned as strategic platforms for executives and decision-makers responsible for broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE), Mining Charter compliance, skills development, procurement and sustainability.

The initiative comes at a time of significant policy and regulatory developments affecting the sector. These include recent changes to employment equity regulations, the proposed Transformation Fund of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), anticipated amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), and ongoing alignment challenges between the BBBEE Codes, verification agencies and major mining companies.

The February workshops are intended to move the conversation beyond compliance, towards practical strategies that deliver sustainable employment outcomes and broader economic participation.

A Mid-Year Platform for Strategic Alignment

Following engagements between the Secretariat of the OEM Mining Supply Forum and the Minerals Council, the workshops have been structured as interventions aimed at aligning mines, OEMs and their supply chains around effective skills development and inclusive procurement strategies.

The sessions will explore how industry stakeholders can better coordinate internal training, supplier development and procurement spend to deliver demonstrable socio-economic impact, while remaining aligned with regulatory expectations and reporting requirements.

Companies are invited to nominate two to three representatives a session, with attendance strongly encouraged from decision-makers responsible for strategic planning, compliance oversight, and the allocation of skills development and procurement budgets.

Workshop Structure and Focus Areas

The workshops will take place in Johannesburg and will feature a keynote address by attorney and strategic advisor to the mining industry Kevin Lester. The keynote will position current Mining Charter and MPRDA developments as a critical opportunity for suppliers to play a more active role in shaping regulation that is both workable and investable. Grounded in constitutional and administrative-law principles, the address will outline a practical playbook for collective engagement, collaboration with the Minerals Council, and supplier-led models that advance inclusion without undermining competitiveness.

The event will be split into two distinct but complementary workshops. The morning session, titled “Skills Development for Meaningful Employment” (08:30 – 12:00), will be led by multiple industry experts and will focus on rethinking how skills development expenditure is directed and measured. Topics include redirecting spend towards programmes that lead to sustainable employability, aligning internal, customer and supplier training needs with credible outcomes-based initiatives, and tracking the long-term impact of training investments. Participants will also explore how skills development initiatives can be better integrated into yearly sustainability and impact reporting.

Following a shared lunch break, the afternoon session, “Local Procurement for Economic Growth and Job Retention” (12:45 – 15:30), will address the growing expectation that procurement strategies demonstrate tangible socio-economic outcomes beyond BBBEE scorecard levels alone. Industry experts will cover best practices in local sourcing, inclusive supplier measurement, and the tracking of procurement impact, including job creation, youth and disability inclusion, gender representation and supplier capability development. The session will also examine approaches to mitigating fronting and supplier dependency risks through diversified sourcing strategies.

From Compliance to Demonstrable Impact

A central objective of the workshops is to help participating companies identify and showcase best practice in skills development and local procurement, while developing measurable indicators of impact that resonate with government, clients, investors and broader society.

By creating a shared understanding of what constitutes meaningful impact – and how it can be tracked and communicated – the organisers aim to strengthen the sector’s collective description around transformation, sustainability and economic inclusion.

Registration Details

OEMs and mining companies are requested to submit their nominees by no later than January 28, 2026.

Registration can be completed online at: https://tinyurl.com/4vw7wz4s or by emailing: admin@oemforum.co.za.

Although attendance is complimentary, the attendance of each nominee from the mines and OEMs will be confirmed in writing by email from the OEM secretary,  and is subject to seating availability.  

With regulatory scrutiny intensifying and expectations around socio-economic impact continuing to evolve, the February workshops offer senior industry leaders a timely opportunity to align strategy, compliance and sustainability objectives – and to contribute to a more coherent and credible transformation narrative for South Africa’s mining and manufacturing sectors.