Brief
MCSA targets up to 100,000 new mining jobs by 2035 and R65bn GDP boost
MCSA president Paul Dunne outlined an investment plan that seeks to lift mining employment and contribution to the economy.
By Felo News Desk · Published
At the 2026 Joburg Indaba, Minerals Council South Africa (MCSA) president Paul Dunne said the council’s Investment and Growth Strategy aims to create between 50,000 and 100,000 additional mining jobs by 2035 and generate roughly R65 billion in annual GDP growth.
Dunne highlighted that mining already provides South Africa’s largest export earnings – R814 billion in 2025 – but the sector has not performed to its potential. He argued that sustained 3% annual growth could unlock the projected R65 billion contribution.
The strategy focuses on building an evidence‑based picture of the constraints that limit investment. Dunne pointed to the quality of infrastructure, permitting efficiency, regulatory predictability, energy reliability and public‑institution performance as key factors that shape capital‑intensive decisions.
Because many bottlenecks span multiple government bodies, the MCSA and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) have agreed on three workstreams. The first targets administrative delays to free more than R50 billion in capital expenditure by February 2028. The second tackles competitiveness gaps and reforms needed to keep South Africa attractive to miners. The third workstream, not fully detailed in the source, aims to address broader systemic issues.
Dunne cautioned that progress in a single institution may not unlock investment if other constraints remain, emphasizing the need for coordinated, cross‑institutional action.
Key facts
- MCSA aims to create 50,000‑100,000 new mining jobs by 2035. (bizcommunity.com)
- Sustained 3% annual growth could add about R65 billion to South Africa’s GDP. (bizcommunity.com)
- Three workstreams with the DMPR target administrative bottlenecks, competitiveness gaps, and systemic constraints. (bizcommunity.com)
- Mining generated R814 billion in export earnings in 2025. (bizcommunity.com)
- The first workstream seeks to unlock over R50 billion in capital expenditure by February 2028. (bizcommunity.com)
Sources
- [1] bizcommunity.com — originally reported as “100,000 new jobs by 2035: Mining sector aims to add R65bn to SA’s GDP”
