Susan Shabangu, South Africa’s mineral resources minister, on Friday welcomed Anglo American’s decision to appoint Sir John Parker as its new chairman.

In a phone call with the new man at the helm she said she was looking forward to a “constructive working relationship”.

But behind the scenes South Africa’s government appears to be unhappy about the failure to designate a black South African as chairman of an iconic company that once dominated the local business scene.

On Thursday – hours before Sir John’s appointment was confirmed – Ms Shabangu had told the Reuters news agency in an e-mail that the government “would prefer to have a black South African as chairman” since this would be a “positive signal going forward”. On the same day it emerged a government list of potential black candidates – including the name of Cyril Ramaphosa, the former trades unionist and black empowerment beneficiary – was circulating. And on Friday, a government source said officials in Ms Shabangu’s own ministry “had serious reservations” about the appointment. The confusion has left investors puzzled, especially since Anglo has enjoyed a reasonably good relationship with government in recent years.

“It looks weird. It would be appropriate for the government to clarify its position,” said one senior Johannesburg-based investment banker. “The South African authorities need to clarify whether they are supportive or not. Conflicting signals make it difficult for the investor population to know what is going on.”

Anglo insisted on Friday it had considered several “high calibre” and “exceptional” black applicants, but these had withdrawn from the contest either on grounds of conflict of interest or on the grounds that the job demanded too much time.

Moreover, Anglo, which was known for its liberal political stance during the apartheid years, has fully complied with legislation and industry codes governing black empowerment requirements.