"There'll always be investors wanting to get in early, but the junior market would only really start to benefit once majors instil investor confidence."
The dramatic fall in overall market capitalization reflects, according to PwC, the impact of the ongoing commodities rout and other challenges the local industry has faced in the last year.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Chamber of Mines, which has been negotiating on behalf of the country’s main coal producers, will sign the agreement later today.
Hundreds of thousands of workers are suing 32 gold mining firms after contracting silicosis and tuberculosis working the country's ultra-deep gold mines.