Deputy Speaker, members have raised the issue of transformation in the mining industry as a major issue that needs to be looked at. Maybe what we should do is take members back to 2002, when this House passed the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, MPRDA, as major transformative legislation to ensure that there is transformation in the mining industry.
In 2004, we started a process of 10 years, where we set a target of at least 26% for mining employers in this country, to ensure that there is proper ownership and distribution. Those 10 years ended in May this year. So it is imperative that we know that the law is on our side in ensuring that the single-person hostels are actually converted into family units or bachelor flats. The question of skills and the representation of black people in the senior management of mining is accomplished, as well as the issue of procurement. As we have been doing in the past five years, we are monitoring to ensure that there is total compliance.
We also want to ensure that all the bottlenecks that have been created by municipalities - because some of the problems that the mining industry has complained about were the regulatory issues in the municipalities - as far as the housing issues are concerned, are dealt with. Some are genuine. I must also add that some of them have done very well, but there are those that are still lagging behind.
As the Department of Mineral Resources, we are quite determined to ensure that there is total transformation and that we enforce compliance with what the law provides. We also want to thank those who participated in ensuring that the strike ends, because the institutions of government and others, especially in the Department of Labour, unions and bosses, have also ensured this success.
I thank the members for raising this matter because it's quite important. Thank you very much. [Applause.]