‘Please love us!’ business bosses tell ANC

Even hard-nosed business leaders want to be loved. That’s the message that emerged on Wednesday at the Joburg Indaba‚ where a survey showed that 24.3% of business leaders just want some affection from the ruling party.

The results of the survey flowed from a question put to delegates: The one thing you want the ANC-led government to do for mining?

The options were:

- Give us a new minister

- Pass the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Bill

- Make industry pay for legacies

- Renegotiate the Charter

- Please love us!

Forty-one percent called for a new minister‚ 26.6% called for the scrapping of the Mining Charter and 4.1% called for the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Bill to be passed.

The poll was conducted amid a tense standoff between Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane and the mining industry over the Mining Charter.

The Chamber of Mines on Tuesday boycotted a gala dinner where Zwane delivered a speech‚ in protest over the charter‚ which it is challenging in court.

In the revised charter‚ the black ownership target was increased from 26% to 30% - a requirement mining companies will have to comply with within 12 months.

The industry has said the targets set out in the charter threaten its survival.

The indaba was attended by the likes of Anglo American‚ Harmony Gold‚ Sibanye Gold‚ PWC‚ JP Morgan‚ KPMG and Standard Bank. Delegates cast their votes electronically ahead of the conference.