Werner Duvenhage to exit RMB after steering miner through turbulent period

Werner Duvenhage joined the global miner in 2013 as managing director of Rossing Uranium in Namibia before taking over leadership of RBM in 2018.

Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) managing director Werner Duvenhage will leave the company at the end of July after more than a decade with mining giant Rio Tinto, marking the end of a leadership tenure defined by operational recovery, community tensions and major strategic milestones.

RBM announced on Tuesday that Duvenhage had decided to pursue an opportunity outside the company after 13 years with Rio Tinto. He is expected to officially leave the organisation on 31 July.

Duvenhage joined the global miner in 2013 as managing director of Rossing Uranium in Namibia before taking over leadership of RBM in 2018.

During his time at the KwaZulu-Natal mineral sands operation, he led the company through one of the most difficult periods in its history, which included security threats, community unrest and operational disruptions that forced the suspension of mining activities at stages.