South Africa's mining minister has revealed that the country is planning to introduce new laws on mining beneficiation within the next 12 months.

Buyelwa Sonjica has announced that new mineral processing regulations will be introduced this year in an effort to encourage more mining companies to process their minerals in South Africa, instead of shipping them away from the country to be processed elsewhere.

It is hoped that the move will provide a stronger economy for South Africa, which owes much of its income to the production of a wide variety of minerals - especially platinum and platinum group metals.

Speaking at the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, Ms Sonjica noted that royalties from sales of beneficiated mineral is "significantly lower" than raw materials.

She also revealed that there would be greater opportunities for investment in the mining sector, announcing: "In 2007, the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) will be amended to remove all identified obstacles to mining investment."

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