JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Despite South African mining ending up tenth in a ten-country global benchmarking exercise, two-thirds of the respondents who participated in a survey appear to be more intent on just doing the same things better rather than modernising meaningfully.
Despite the sustainability of South African mining being under pressure, the majority of the coal, gold, uranium, platinum group metals, diamond, iron-ore, manganese, copper, and industrial minerals profile surveyed are not modernising. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)
The required transformative shift toward broader sustainability lacked emphasis and even environmental considerations ended up as "a secondary dimension".
Spelt out was the need for a shift from legacy practices towards technology solutions, greater operational resilience, and future-facing strategic approaches.
At South Africa’s Mining Modernisation Showcase – where Minerals Council South Africa, the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability, the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators’ specialised research unit within South Africa's Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC-CeSTII), PwC Smart Mining, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the National Advisory Council on Innovation locked arms impressively – modernisation of South Africa’s mining sector was described as “an urgent strategic priority for the South African economy”.
