Industry leaders at the recent Joburg Indaba were positive about the future of South African mining.
Now in its 12th year, the event provided a bullish outlook on the future of South African mining, with industry leaders sharing positive feedback on the formation of the Government of National Unity, which recently passed its 100-day mark.
Notably, speakers at the event were encouraged by the growing relationships between government and the private sector, as well as engagements between entities such as Business for South Africa, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which will be a key driver for growth in the local context.
“Despite the challenges faced by the South African mining industry, there are many positive aspects that have been highlighted at this year’s event,” said SRK Consulting principal mining engineer Jaco van Graan.
“The mining industry is driving growth, which is a notion that has been reinforced by promises of continued stable electricity supply, an improved outlook from Transnet, the CSIR’s innovative mining approaches, increased exploration budgets, and the release of closure trust funds, to name a few.”
Path Towards Success
Also highlighted at the event – which took place on 2-3 October – were the notable successes faced by the mining industry. Van Graan highlighted that the gold industry has been buoyed by the high gold prices, likely resulting from geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
“There is also hope that as the renewable energy space experiences greater growth through the development of green hydrogen technology, platinum-group metals (PGMs) will follow suit and begin seeing a greater demand,” said Van Graan.
Read the full article on Why Africa.
