Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says the cabinet has approved the critical minerals strategy implementation plan, aimed at moving South Africa beyond raw mineral export to beneficiation by focusing on adding local value and boosting exploration, among others.
Briefing the media in Pretoria on Wednesday on the outcomes of the cabinet meeting held on December 5, Ntshavheni said the plan detailed a roadmap to leverage opportunities in mineral wealth arising from the surge in demand for critical minerals, due to their “increased applications in digital technology, defence, healthcare, consumer electronics, and electric vehicles amongst others”.
SA holds huge reserves of critical minerals such as platinum group metals, manganese, chromium, vanadium, titanium and gold, which are key to unlocking industrial growth, investment inflows and long-term economic competitiveness.
Ntshavheni said the implementation plan focused on six pillars: geoscience mapping and exploration, value addition and localisation, research, development and innovation, infrastructure and energy security, financial instruments and regulatory harmonisation.
“The implementation of the Critical Minerals Strategy will significantly contribute to economic growth and job creation,” Ntshavheni said.
First-world countries and developing nations are locked in a fierce scramble for critical and rare-earth minerals, described as the resources set to fuel economic growth, technological innovation and geopolitical influence.
Speaking at the White House recently after Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had signed a peace agreement, US President Donald Trump said the US would be signing bilateral deals with DRC and Rwanda to buy rare earth minerals from the two countries.
“We’ll be involved with sending some of our biggest and greatest companies over to the two countries,” he said. “And we’re going to take out some of the rare earth, take out some of the assets and pay. Everybody is going to make a lot of money.”
Rare earth minerals are used in emerging technologies, energy production and medical devices.
Ntshavheni said the cabinet welcomed the continuing improvement in Eskom’s financial and operational performance for the six months ending September 2025, where the power utility recorded a profit of R24.3bn after tax, which was 37% higher than the same period in 2024.
“In the same period, Eskom delivered consistent energy supply with only four days of load-shedding. Electricity supply reliability stood at 96% in 2024/25, improving to 98% for the year to date,” the minister said.
“Eskom’s solid performance demonstrates the efficacy of Eskom’s recovery plan initiated under the Operation Vulindlela structural reforms programme, the level of competence of Eskom’s management team and its board, and the focused leadership of the minister of electricity and energy.”
The cabinet also welcomed the positive momentum in the economy, with the GDP growing by 0.5% during the third quarter of 2025. The growth was largely driven by strong performances in mining, agriculture and services, and contributions from finance, government services and manufacturing.
Ntshavheni noted the GDP growth in the third quarter was accompanied by an increase in employment, which increased by 248,000 jobs, and a decrease in unemployed people by 360,000 as announced in the Quarterly Labour Force Survey.
“In addition, the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative, which provides young people with pathways into the economy, has now reached the 200,000 jobs milestone,” she said. To date, YES has placed more than 202,558 young South Africans in 12-month, quality work experiences, and it is supported by more than 1,900 corporate partners,” she said.
“Furthermore, the IMF just lifted SA’s growth forecast to 1.3% in 2025 and 1.4% in 2026, up from earlier projections of 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively.”
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