FERIAL HAFFAJEE: Is this how Mantashe got the mining job? - Rand Daily Mail

Now it turns out that the crisis in mining was broken by three former trade unionists who brought all their negotiating nous to the table in conjunction with Ramaphosa, who was not always available for talks but was kept in the loop.

Former National Union of Mineworkers general secretary Frans Baleni played a central role in ironing out the impasse.

Together with Mantashe and the ANC's head of economic transformation, Enoch Godongwana, he back-channelled in talks with the mining industry in long meetings that often ended over a good whisky, said a party to the meetings. The former director-general of the Department of Mineral Resources, Sandile Nogxina, who is the architect of the mining rights regime, helped in negotiations too.

Negotiators said the chamber's former president, Mike Teke, played a key role in bringing a furious industry around to negotiation and out of the arena of legal conflict. "He persuaded the Chamber of Mines to come around. He was able to promise that should Ramaphosa win [at the party's presidential elective conference in December], Zwane would go."

It was a close race. In October last year, Zwane told reporters: "We already know who will be president ... It's a done deal. We are not stressing. The policies won't change. In January there will be new leadership and policies will remain the same."

But Zwane miscalculated and Ramaphosa won. The team who had been in talks with the miners ensured that there was a line for the industry in the state of the nation address, which infected the country with a new mood. It infected the industry too.

Chamber of Mines president Roger Baxter was at parliament for the address and he and Ramaphosa spoke on the phone two days later. Hours after that, the charter crisis was out of court and back on the table.

"It was a leap of faith because there was trust, not absolute trust, but some trust," said the mining executive who spoke to Business Times. "[It was deemed] unnecessary to spend three days in court. It felt like there was finally a president who recognises the potential of mining to [generate] revenue, to influence foreign investors and help employment."

Days later, Zwane was indeed gone and Mantashe was appointed to replace him. He has promised to negotiate and mint a new charter in three months' time.