Shabangu said this as part of her answer to questions from Parliament's portfolio committee on mineral resources on Tuesday.
The MPs' questions revolved around the state of labour relations and skills development within the mineral resources sector to which Shabangu replied that they were good especially with key unions such as the National Union of Mineworkers and Solidarity.
"Our relations are so good that in meetings we call them all comrades, even Solidarity," Shabangu said.
She said that any question surrounding labour reform had not been discussed in government's highest decision making body, Cabinet, and that no debate had been opened around it.
Recently Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan wrote an article published in national newspaper Business Day, calling for reform of SA's labour laws, saying they were constraining growth.
On the issue of skills, Shabangu said her department was engaging with the Department of Higher Education and Training to encourage young people to enter the mining sector and learn the appropriate skills to make the sector boom.
"Things have changed since years back when Fanagalo (a pidgin [simplified language] of Zulu) was used. Now the mines want young people with Grade 12 who are able to read and write and so be able to take instructions," she said.
Shabangu said that if the appropriate skills were not developed in the country then the beneficiation strategy would not be a success and that foreign investors would bring their own skills in.
Using China as an example, Shabangu said: "If the Chinese were to come to SA and see there was a shortage of skills then they would bring their own as they have done in other countries. In Zambia, even the street cleaners are Chinese."
Continuing with skills development, Shabangu said that if SA was to take full advantage of the next mining boom, then the skills had to be developed.
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