By Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe is scheduled to headline the 2026 Mine Health and Safety Tripartite Summit starting tomorrow at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng. Running from September 17 to 18, 2026, the high-level gathering operates under the crucial theme: “Every Mineworker returning from work unharmed everyday”.
A Milestone Year for Worker Safety
This year’s summit marks a significant analytical checkpoint for the South African mining sector, coinciding with two major institutional markers:
- Decadal Review: The summit will comprehensively review the 10-year mine health and safety milestones originally established in 2014.
- Legislative Anniversary: Industry stakeholders will commemorate 30 years of the Mine Health and Safety Act (No. 29 of 1996).
Advancing the “Zero Harm” Vision
Industry leaders, labour representatives, and government officials will utilize the two-day forum to assess systemic progress, confront ongoing operational challenges, and share proven best practices. The core objective remains solidifying occupational health frameworks to aggressively advance the sector’s long-term Zero Harm vision.
Highlighting the fundamental economic role played by labour, Minister Mantashe has consistently underscored that workforce protection cannot be side-lined.
“Mineworkers are the people who convert investments into wealth. Their health and safety must therefore remain a collective responsibility,” — Minister Gwede Mantashe.
