Video: Minister chased from meeting
A mining imbizo hosted by Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane at the Sydney Choma Banquet Hall in Walter Sisulu Street was cancelled and he had to be escorted away from an angry crowd - which at one point almost became violent.
Zwane was supposed to be discussing the recently unveiled Mining Charter, which ups the percentage of black ownership to 30%.
But people attending the community meeting would not let him speak, and held up placards calling him a “Gupta Minister”.
The Minister, who was meant to hear the views of affected communities following the release of the third iteration of the Mining Charter last week, was forced to leave the meeting before being heckled by sections of the audience.
Newly formed civil society organisation Practical Radical Economic Transformation (PRET) Secretary General Sandile Mathebula demanded to know why Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza was not present, accusing the Department of Mineral Resources and Zwane in particular of “disrespecting the people” by not having their provincial leader present.
A rival group expressed disappointment that Zwane was unable to address the meeting.
