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gwede mantashe

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South African Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe has featured in several major news stories recently. On August 6, 2025, Mantashe rejected a business proposal to grant the United States access to Africa’s critical minerals, arguing that it prioritized Sibanye Stillwater’s interests over those of the broader industry and criticizing the lack of consultation with his ministry and industry bodies. He took particular issue with the proposal’s phrasing, calling it inappropriate for South African policy, and released a government strategy focusing on domestic critical minerals, which notably differs from private sector perspectives[1].

Amid ongoing issues in the mining sector, Mantashe has also spoken out about the need for tougher action against illegal mining, emphasizing that the government must strengthen its criminal response to ensure more decisive measures are enforced[5].

On August 5, 2025, Mantashe engaged directly with stakeholders in South Africa’s diamond sector through a formal consultation. The meeting, held at the OR Tambo Special Economic Zone, aimed to foster collaboration between government and industry, promoting growth, transformation, and alignment of policy across the diamond value chain[7].

Internationally, Mantashe is set to speak at African Energy Week 2025 in Cape Town, reflecting his prominent role in promoting South Africa’s upstream energy development. The conference comes as South Africa launches the National Petroleum Company and implements new legislation to attract foreign investment and monetize untapped resources[3].

Politically, Mantashe has ruled himself out of the 2027 ANC presidency contest, citing age and expressing that his strength lies in influencing rather than seeking power. He stated clearly that he does not wish to be considered for presidential succession, despite ongoing internal party jockeying ahead of the 2027 conference[2][8].

Mantashe also temporarily served as acting Police Minister in July 2025 amidst controversy involving corruption allegations within the police and political infighting, highlighting the fluid nature of cabinet roles in the current environment[4].

Separately, Johannesburg High Court recently ruled in Mantashe’s favor, declaring social media allegations by Zakhele Zuma accusing him of theft to be false and defamatory[8].

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