Introduction
There has been significant debate amongst key stakeholders
including government, mining companies, and environmental lobbyists
regarding how mining companies should not only be held accountable
for mine closure but also how the often vast sums of money needed
to close mines properly, will be made available so that the State
does not end up having to remediate and rehabilitate mines that
close prematurely or become "ownerless".
There was a radical shift regarding the calculation of total
amount needed to carry out mine closure and rehabilitation, and the
amount that had to actually be made available at any point in time
to achieve the objectives, when the "Regulations
pertaining to the Financial Provisions for Prospecting,
Exploration, Mining or Production Operations" were
published in GNR 1147 of 20 November 2015 ("the
Financial Provision Regulations 2015").
