JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The introduction of the long-delayed new cadastre system, which was meant to be initiated in the Western Cape on July 1, has been delayed by a further three months, Minerals and Petroleum Minister Gwede Mantashe has told Parliament.

Speaking during Budget Vote 2025, Mantashe explained that “this is a delicate process that requires precision and quality assurance, and it is taking longer than we had anticipated. Consequently, this has resulted in a need to reschedule the phased rollout of the system in the Western Cape by a further three months.

“It is expected that the overall project timeline will not be significantly impacted as the experience from the Western Cape process will be applied in other provinces.

“I can, however, assure you that we remain fully committed to modernising and improving the efficiency of our mineral resource management.

“To accelerate progress, we have allocated additional resources and human capital to key project areas including, data migration, testing, training, and deployment. Additionally, we have enlisted the services of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research,” Mantashe reported during the vote covered by Mining Weekly.

In the interim, the department would, he said, continue to process applications, with 2 596 applications approved in the last financial year. These applications include mining and prospecting rights, as well as mining permits.

“We are confident that the new mining licensing system will significantly improve service delivery, enhance transparency, and strengthen sustainable resource governance. We appreciate the patience and understanding of the industry and all stakeholders during this transition,” he added.

A transparent mining licensing system is an enabler for a sunrise industry, he conceded.

“Since the appointment of PMG Consortium as the service provider for the design and configuration of the system, critical milestones in modernising and enhancing the efficiency of our mineral resource management have been achieved.

“The project has progressed through a structured sequence of phases including, inter alia, initiation, design and configuration, as well as legacy data management.

“Some of the key achievements to date include the successful mapping of the requirements onto the new systems, the establishment of the system’s architecture, strengthened cybersecurity protocols, and introduction of a more advanced ‘grid’ solution that minimises potential overlap of mining area by applicants.