Platinum mine owners are engaged in a consultation with the South African government over proposed black ownership rules.

The government wants all new mines in the country to have majority black ownership.

However, to ensure the rules are fair and flexible, it is consulting with industry representatives, Reuters reports.

In particular, the government wants to assuage concerns regarding rules for companies that have started to develop mining facilities but who are yet to actually start mining.

The chief director of Mineral Resources Management, Jacinto Rocha, stated: "The issue of the 51 per cent [black ownership] ... we are discussing with the other stakeholders, the mechanics, how to implement it and when to implement it.

"We are going to be fair ... if you have established value, you've spent money, you've explored, we will not say a new party must have the majority."

It is the latest thrust of the government's Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) initiative, which aims to increase the black populations' involvement in the economy.

In May, a mining charter was enacted that required existing mine owners to transfer at least 26 per cent of their mine holdings to black-controlled enterprises within ten years.