LIMPOPO – Mopani District Municipality is looking to tap into what it describes as largely untapped mineral resources across areas under traditional leadership, with international interest already emerging in potential mining exploration around Siyandhani village in Giyani.

Mopani Mayor Dagma Mamanyoha said that the mineral wealth beneath the land under the stewardship of traditional leaders represented an important resource that could contribute to the district’s economic development.

Traditional leaders asked to partner with municipalities

Speaking during the official opening of the Local House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders at Thomo Community Hall in Giyani on Friday, Mamanyoha told the gathering of traditional leaders that “it would not help to have farms or minerals on your land that are not being utilised.”

He urged the traditional leaders to work with the municipalities to enable the mining of mineral resources on their land.

District overlooked despite mining sites

He said the district had traditionally not been perceived as being rich in mineral resources and that, despite three traditional mining sites in Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality and one in Greater Tzaneen, it was still left out of broader efforts to explore and develop the country’s mineral resources.

He said, however, that recent prospecting interests had indicated the district’s potential to become a key player in mineral resources development and beneficiation.

“In the recent past, several mining and prospecting interests have mushroomed from various quarters of the district,” he said.

Gold deposits confirmed along Murchison Range

“This is particularly significant because, beyond the well-known copper and phosphate resources around Phalaborwa, studies have confirmed gold deposits along the Murchison Range, stretching from Gravelotte to near Tzaneen, as well as in Siyandhani,” he said.

“Other mineral resources identified in the district include vermiculite, uranium, corundum, mica, black granite and feldspar, many of which offer untapped exploration and development potential.”

Geoscience partnership draws global interest

Against this background, former Mayor Pule Shayi hosted the Minister of Mineral Resources and Petroleum in Tzaneen on July 7 for the strategic launch of the South African Country Window of the Pan African Forum for Geoscience Plus, a partnership between the European Union and the Netherlands.

Mamanyoha said the municipality’s collaboration with the Council for Geoscience had attracted interest from international companies in mining exploration in the Siyandhani Traditional Authority area.

“We are pleased that international companies have shown interest in engaging with the Siyandhani Traditional Authority, with Hosi Siyandhani championing these discussions,” he said.

Jobs and local businesses the goal

Mamanyoha said the district would monitor and support the initiative to ensure it benefits the people of Siyandhani, Greater Giyani and the wider district.

“As we harness the potential of our critical minerals, government and traditional leaders must work together to ensure these resources create jobs and businesses in the communities where they are mined,” he concluded.