While the implementation of South Africa’s long-awaited digital mining cadastre has been pushed back to October, government and industry leaders insist that taking more time is necessary to ensure the system is robust and transparent.

Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane acknowledged that investors were concerned about the recently announced delay of the cadastre – or registry – but argued that rushing the rollout could backfire.

“I would rather we take a little bit longer and do the right thing, rather than end up where, as with all IT systems, garbage in is garbage out – and that might just cause even more problems for investment and for the system itself,” he told delegates at the Africa Down Under conference, in Perth.

Mthenjane said South Africa’s complex geology added to the challenge of designing the system. “In PGMs alone, you can have Merensky, UG2 and various layers of chrome. My concern from the beginning was how the cadastre system was going to work to ensure that there is not overpegging,” he said.

Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) director-general Jacob Mbele echoed that view, stressing that the transition from the current system to the new one could not be rushed.

“The underlying data is key. For a cadastre, when you apply for a right, you need to know what is already existing on the ground. If you get that wrong, it has huge implications. We have to manage the transition properly. Otherwise, our good intentions could actually result in chaos and negative impacts,” Mbele said.

He added that while government understood the urgency, accuracy and stability had to take precedence.

First promised in 2021, the cadastre is intended to bring transparency and efficiency to South Africa’s mining rights application process, which has been plagued by backlogs and inefficiencies. Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe confirmed in his budget vote speech in July that the system’s go-live date had been shifted to October.

DMPR Deputy Minister Phumzile Mgcina affirmed that the phased rollout of the system would begin this year, starting with the Western Cape and expanding progressively to other provinces.

Mthenjane urged patience. “Whilst I appreciate the concerns investors may have, this is too important to get wrong,” he said.