12/01/2026
SV Online - In Brief: A Letter while we wait for Matric Results Announcement.
When the nation awaits tonight announcement of Matric Results by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, Businessman Rob Hersov write an open letter to Minister Gwede Mantashe. The letter which you can read in full, is first published on BizNews.
"By Rob Hersov
Dear Gwede
Or as some people kowtow - The Honourable Minister Gwede Mantashe,
I write to you today not merely as a critic, as you know my views on the destructive and incompetent ANC, but as a deeply concerned South African witnessing the managed decline of an industry that is not only our national heritage but also our most critical asset for the future.
The global landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, one that places mining at the very centre of the world’s economic and environmental salvation. Yet, as the world cries out for the very resources we have in abundance, South Africa is tragically, and intentionally, silencing its own potential.
Mining is the “keystone industry” of modern civilisation. Without it, the global economy would collapse. The device on which this letter is read, the infrastructure that powers our homes, and the medical equipment that saves lives are all born from the earth.
More pressingly, the global transition to a green economy—a shift necessary to preserve our planet —is fundamentally impossible without a massive increase in mining output. Electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines are not built from hopes and dreams; they are built from copper, lithium, cobalt, manganese, and a host of other minerals that must be extracted from the ground. And which we have in abundance here in South Africa.
As Glen Nwaila, a director at Wits University’s School of Geosciences, has noted, “The challenge at the moment is that we are not developing new mines at the required pace compared to the amount of metals that we need.” This is the global context in which South Africa should be thriving. Instead, we are retreating.
The statistics of our ANC-inflicted decline are a source of national shame. Our gold production, once the envy of the world, has plummeted by a staggering 86% from its peak. Where we once produced over 600 tonnes, we now struggle to produce 100. This is not due to geological scarcity, but a catastrophic failure of policy. You are responsible for this failure...."
By Rob Hersov
Dear Gwede
Or as some people kowtow - The Honourable Minister Gwede Mantashe,
I write to you today not merely as a critic, as you know my views on the destructive and incompetent ANC, but as a deeply concerned South African witnessing the managed decline of an industry that is not only our national heritage but also our most critical asset for the future.
The global landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, one that places mining at the very centre of the world’s economic and environmental salvation. Yet, as the world cries out for the very resources we have in abundance, South Africa is tragically, and intentionally, silencing its own potential.
Mining is the “keystone industry” of modern civilisation. Without it, the global economy would collapse. The device on which this letter is read, the infrastructure that powers our homes, and the medical equipment that saves lives are all born from the earth.
More pressingly, the global transition to a green economy—a shift necessary to preserve our planet —is fundamentally impossible without a massive increase in mining output. Electric vehicles, solar panels, and wind turbines are not built from hopes and dreams; they are built from copper, lithium, cobalt, manganese, and a host of other minerals that must be extracted from the ground. And which we have in abundance here in South Africa.
As Glen Nwaila, a director at Wits University’s School of Geosciences, has noted, “The challenge at the moment is that we are not developing new mines at the required pace compared to the amount of metals that we need.” This is the global context in which South Africa should be thriving. Instead, we are retreating.
The statistics of our ANC-inflicted decline are a source of national shame. Our gold production, once the envy of the world, has plummeted by a staggering 86% from its peak. Where we once produced over 600 tonnes, we now struggle to produce 100. This is not due to geological scarcity, but a catastrophic failure of policy. You are responsible for this failure.
Files: The Guardian
