S Africa remains premier mining jurisdiction, says Anglo which is investing R11bn

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South Africa remains one of the world's premier mining jurisdictions, Anglo American has spelt out emphatically, amid itself investing R11.2-billlion in the ultra-high dense media separation iron-ore project at Sishen, in South Africa's Northern Cape.

"We have other investments in terms of innovation and technology. We've made commitments in terms of exploration investment in South Africa, and despite the challenges, despite the volatility, despite the uncertainty, the opportunity remains huge for us," Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad commented during last week's discussion with Joburg Indaba chairperson Bernard Swanepoel.

"Whilst South Africa's mineral endowment remains one of the greatest strengths of South Africa, attracting investment increasingly depends on broader conditions that support competitiveness and project development," Wanblad explained.

Anglo is part of the Business for South Africa platform developed in terms of the Government-Business Partnership for Growth and Jobs, which is setting up conditions to allow South Africa to grow economically and to provide long-term and sustainable jobs for South Africa's people.

Wanblad expressed delight that the Government-Business Partnership's advance into phase three had embedded mining as a fundamental pillar of identifiable growth within South Africa, "and that's hugely exciting for all of us".

The partnership is targeting 3% growth and the creation of a million jobs by 2030.

Wanblad pointed out that the "unparalleled mining expertise" of South Africans was evidenced by the large number of South Africans in senior mining roles the world over.

Within South Africa itself, he said, were world-class engineering capabilities, sophisticated financial markets and well-established institutions, which provided a solid foundation for what should be one of the world's most globally competitive mining sectors.

But three key areas had to be accelerated to turn this into investable and executable project development.

"The first of these areas is that we have to continue to address administrative complexity that just too often delays investments or creates unpredictability as far as investors are concerned.

"These need an efficient and harmonised regulatory environment an