By Dr Nicolaas C Steenkamp for African Mining, incorporating Mining Mirror
Tseliso Maqubela, DDG Mineral and Petroleum Regulation, Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) presented an update on progress being made with the future implementation of the new cadastre system. He reminded the audience of the date of 10 October 2013 as the reason why the department did not roll out the system faster and at once, regionally. The previous system failed spectacularly and is being taught in business school as “a lesson of what not to do”.
Tseliso Maqubela, DDG: Mineral and Petroleum Regulation, Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR). Supplied ©Resources 4 Africa
The new cadastre system was initially announced at the Mining Indaba 2024 and the previous update was presented at the Junior Mining Indaba 2024, where it was announced that a contractor was appointed to develop and roll out the system.
It was announced for the first time outside of the department that the process was on track to roll out in regions, not nationwide.
The roll out will start in the Western Cape. The reasons for the selection of the Western Cape were not political, but due to the fact that it is a manageable mining jurisdiction and it has the greatest number of operational mines (which include quarries). The province also has a limited number of appeals.
After successful implementation, the system will be rolled out to the Eastern Cape and then on a province-by-province basis. The existing SAMRAD will be switched off as the new cadastre becomes active in the provinces.
The department is confident that the anticipated deadline for completion at the end of June 2025 is achievable. There are however still some issues to be addressed, including linkage to the deeds offices and the revenue services.
The question was again raised regarding why the department did not buy an off-the-shelf solution or make use of a local service provider. He clarified that it was a result of the procurement system. A critical factor for the department is the introduction of innovative grids in the new cadastre system.
The previous system allowed for the application to be done using a polygon. The new cadastre is introducing a grid, to ensure no overlap of future applications. The applicant will now click on the grid with the system returning a response. This will either be red, indicating the area cannot be applied for as it has an existing right; yellow (conditional) indicating that a conversation would be required as there is an encroachment near a current right or application; and finally, a green block will indicate that the area is available. The grid cell size represents a hectare, each containing all relevant information on the current application(s) in the particular grid.
The audience was also shown a video of the new cadastre system and how to lodge a prospecting application. The department is set to release instructional videos soon.
It was highlighted by Bernard Swanepoel, chair of the Junior Mining Indaba, that this cadastre system was needed in South Africa 20 years ago. He expressed his hopes that at the next Junior Mining Indaba, the discussion would revolve around how the system is working to assist the application process in the country rather than being a simple update on progress.