By: IOL

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has revealed that South Africa and Nigeria are bolstering their bilateral relationship through high-level talks aimed at boosting trade, investment, and regional cooperation in the mining sectors.

"South Africa and Nigeria's cooperation in the oil and gas sector. The Cabinet was apprised of the technical resolutions between South Africa and Nigeria following Minister Gwede Mantashe's visit to Nigeria to discuss cooperation in the mining, oil, and gas sectors as part of the South Africa/Nigeria Bi-National Commission.

"Nigeria seeks to develop its mining sector through exploration and production of its vast mineral resources and to leverage South Africa's vast experience in the mining sector. South Africa has an interest in securing oil allocations and liquid petroleum gas from Nigeria, and also to learn from Nigeria's vast experience in oil and gas exploration," she said.

On Thursday, Ntshavheni addressed the media following a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, which took various resolutions on some of the country's latest local and international political developments, including the establishment of the commission to investigate police corruption recently announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ntshavheni indicated that the establishment of this commission is a sign that the government takes the allegations made by KZN Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi very seriously.

"The establishment of the commission affirms the president's commitment to use constitutional processes to thoroughly investigate allegations of wrongdoing, uphold the integrity and public trust of institutions, and ensure people are held accountable to the laws of the country," she stated.

On crime prevention, the minister welcomed the arrest of illegal miners found in Barberton, Mpumalanga, as well as those who have been arrested for various offences as part of Operation Shanela.

"On crime prevention, the Cabinet welcomed the intensified police interventions through Operation Shanela. We saw the arrest of over 70,000 suspects across the country between the 27th of July and the 2nd of August 2025. In Mpumalanga, Operation Vala Umgodi has seen more than 1,000 illegal miners being arrested, while others have been released on bail. Another 50 are appearing today for bail application, and the police have indicated that those who are appearing today have other criminal offences." 

The minister also announced a new proposal for the diamond industry, which has been looked at to contribute 1% of its revenue to ensure job creation and skills development for the country's youth, while on the budget front, she stated that the country's budget should be tailored to support the country's developmental state objective.

"Cabinet has considered a proposal on budget reforms aimed at a budgeting system that supports South Africa's developmental state goals while safeguarding long-term fiscal sustainability. The Cabinet also approved the 2024/29 budget principles and the 2026 NTF guidelines and budget process cuts. This is to avoid the situation that confronted us during the 2025/26 budget process. So, we have principles that will guide that process as part of strengthening the processes of the Government of National Unity.

"The South African diamond industry is a significant player within the global diamond and jewellery industry, and it contributes substantially to the national economy. However, the global diamond industry continues to experience extreme challenges due to macroeconomic factors.

"Consequently, the government granted budget approvals to the Department of Mineral Resources to participate in international agreements that will enable diamond producers and governments to be better positioned to promote and market natural diamonds globally.

"For this to be realised, the government has further approved that the diamond industry be requested to contribute 1 percent of their annual revenues to support marketing of real and original diamonds to enable global growth and job creation," she said.