The State of Transformation in South Africa’s Energy, Mining and Construction Sectors

Abstract

The exclusionary policies of apartheid systematically marginalised the majority of South Africans from partaking in the economic activities of their country. The Mining Charter and the B-BBEE codes were introduced to facilitate transformation in the mining, construction and energy sectors. This paper examines the extent to which the objectives of the Mining Charter and the B-BBEE codes have been achieved in the mining, construction and energy sectors. The findings show that some progress has been made in terms of compliance, however transformation has not occurred at the intended rate. It is recommended that unions need to find space to be part of the mining Charter and B-BBEE compliance auditing processes. Furthermore, workers must be sensitised on the requirements of the mining Charter and BBBEE codes and be empowered to report, continually on progress made at the workplace towards meeting these requirements, within their own structures.