A leading platinum industry figure has called on the South African government to end the uncertainty surrounding legislative change.

Aquarius Platinum chief executive Stuart Murray told Business Day that the current ambiguity surrounding the black economic empowerment (BEE) legislation and other plans was beginning to impact on investor confidence in the region.

Writing in Aquarius' annual report, Mr Murray said it was time for the government to clarify the rules.

"It is an unfortunate coincidence that the South African mining industry must meet the costs of far-reaching legislative change at a time when margins are under such extreme pressure due to the strong rand," he said.

"There is uncertainty [. . .] regarding the royalty and beneficiation bills, and while we remain confident that government will engage with all stakeholders to arrive at workable, pragmatic outcomes in respect of each, we would hope that, in the interests of restoring bruised investor confidence, clarity emerges sooner rather than later."

However, Mr Murray added that Aquarius was currently in a comparatively strong position, claiming it would find it easier to comply with the mining charter than some of the larger mining groups.

He even suggested Aquarius Platinum could be "a model to be followed", because it took on smaller, lower grade ore bodies that could be properly exploited.