Deputy Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Phumzile Mgcina has reiterated government’s position that South Africa’s mining sector is entering a renewed growth phase, underpinned by exploration-led investment and digital transformation initiatives.
Speaking at the South Africa Exploration Investment Forum, held on the sidelines of the Investing in African Mining Indaba 2026 in Cape Town, Mgcina pointed to early results from the country’s revitalised exploration strategy as evidence of rising investor interest. Central to that strategy is the Council for Geoscience (CGS), which serves as the implementing agency mandated to quantify and map the value of South Africa’s mineral endowment across strategic commodities.
“The CGS is our implementing entity – mandated to quantify the inherent value of South Africa’s mineral wealth across a range of strategic mineral commodities. This work is already pointing to significant untapped mineral potential, thus reinforcing our message that South African mining is a sunrise industry,” Mgcina said.
She added that this outlook is being demonstrated through projects supported by the Junior Mining Exploration Fund (JMEF), a cornerstone of government’s mineral exploration strategy aimed at attracting new capital, reigniting mineral development and accelerating fresh discoveries. The first application window of the JMEF allocated approximately R160 million to qualifying projects, while the second window has drawn 80 applications targeting a broad basket of minerals.
Among the projects highlighted was a rare earth elements initiative in Bothaville in the Free State, which has progressed into an intensive drilling phase. Two additional projects in the Northern Cape are scheduled to begin drilling this year, while at least four others are in early-stage mapping and in the process of acquiring geophysical and geochemical datasets.
“Together, these projects confirm that South Africa’s subsurface potential is, indeed, far from fully understood and realised,” Mgcina said.
Funding commitments linked to the JMEF have grown substantially. Total commitments now exceed R2 billion, up from the initial R400 million seed funding provided by the department and the
Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). The second funding round has attracted applications across a diversified commodity mix, including tin, tungsten, titanium, uranium, gold, antimony, arsenic, fluorspar, copper and lithium — reflecting both traditional and energy transition-focused mineral demand.
Despite the progress, Mgcina called for deeper collaboration between the public and private sectors, emphasising exploration as the foundation of a sustainable mining industry.
In parallel with funding initiatives, the CGS has launched a Virtual Core Library, described by the Deputy Minister as a strategic national asset designed to modernise access to geological data. The digital platform enables the preservation and remote analysis of historical drill core, with the objective of accelerating exploration decision-making, reducing costs and enhancing South Africa’s competitiveness as a destination for exploration capital.
By lowering barriers to entry for junior and emerging explorers and revitalising interest in underexplored regions, the initiative is expected to stimulate new activity while safeguarding the country’s geological archive. As global competition for exploration capital intensifies, government officials are positioning data transparency, co-funding mechanisms and regulatory support as key pillars of South Africa’s bid to re-establish itself as a leading exploration jurisdiction.
