Mining Weekly

South Africa’s best-known futurologist, Clem Sunter, will be among the star attractions at BME’s annual drilling and blasting conference to be held on Thursday 2 November at the CSIR Conference Centre in Pretoria – giving delegates vital insights into future business risks and opportunities.
 
Sunter is expected to touch on global geo-political issues and how they are likely to affect the future performance of the leading economies, as well as to outline some scenarios for South Africa’s economic and political future. Having identified North Korea as a ‘flag’ pointing to greater global instability, the rising tone of ‘war talk’ between North Korea and the United States will no doubt be of particular concern in his presentation.
 
In recent talks, he has also highlighted religious conflict as a key theme in future trends, with growing sophistication of militant, armed groups around the world. It was Sunter’s ‘prediction’ of a significant terror attack on US soil – which he conveyed to US President George Bush in a letter just months before 9/11 – that catapulted him to fame; he said key indicators before that event were the two earlier attacks on American embassies in Africa. 
 
Other interesting flags that he points to as indicators of business trends are the aging generations in economies such as Europe and Japan – which will certainly affect global demand. At the same time, the world economy is soon to see China take the leading role, with significant implications for the economic direction of South Africa and all African countries. 
 
The popular one-day conference will also feature a range of technical authorities who will share new ideas and best practice in the field of blasting.
 
International experts will include Tapan Goswami talking about a holistic approach to managing blast outcomes, and Australian mining engineer Lucas Bottomley on how to create value with technical blasting services. Regular speaker Robert McClure will be there from the US, presenting on 3 D surveying for underground blasting operations.
 
Among the line-up of local specialists will be BME’s well-known director of blasting science Tony Rorke on safety in wall control, and the company’s global product manager for the AXXIS digital initiation system Tinus Brits on BME’s pioneer blasts in the US.
 
BME’s general manager for surface and underground operations in Africa, Albie Visser, together with Marnus Kotze, head of logistics at BME, will give an exciting update on the company’s mobilisation in Zambia, while blasting engineers Victor Krause and Christo van Zyl will talk respectively on reactive ground and on the benefits of electronic detonators in fragmentation.
 
Participants are advised to book early, as the event is usually busy and well-subscribed. For more information, and to book your seat, go to www.bme.co.za