South Africa's mining industry faces QCTO deadline and policy reform push

South Africa’s mining sector must meet a Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) deadline of 30 June 2026 to retire legacy qualifications. From that date, all workforce training must follow a new occupational qualifications framework, requiring registrations, audits and a two‑tier assessment (Formative Integrated Summative Assessment and External Integrated Summative Assessment). Industry players warn that the new system could cause certification backlogs, jeopardising the operation of heavy‑equipment and reducing mine output, while the regulator struggles with material shortages and delayed site‑verification audits. The transition does raise the mandatory training grant from 20 % to 40 %, but imposes tighter compliance requirements.

At the same time, the Institute of Race Relations has released a draft Growth and Employment in Mining (GEM) Bill aimed at removing policy obstacles that have seen mining’s contribution to GDP fall from 21 % in 1980 to about 7 % today and the loss of roughly 55 000 jobs. The bill proposes that mining rights be awarded based on technical capacity, safety, environmental standards and land‑rehabilitation commitments, seeking to curb the effects of state custodianship, BEE ownership rules, licensing delays and discretionary decision‑making that critics say increase costs and create political risk for investors.