Former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe
Photo by: Creamer Media
VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe has joined the board of project developer Ivanhoe Mines with immediate effect, the company announced on Tuesday.
In his new nonexecutive capacity, Motlanthe is expected to bring a “new dimension” to the company’s strategic evaluations, consensus building and decision-making by the Ivanhoe board, the company said in a statement.
“Motlanthe is widely recognised as one of the African continent’s wise[st] men. His experience in some exceptional leadership positions, spanning more than 40 years of business, political and social transformation, will add an informed and invigorating perspective to the Ivanhoe board’s business guidance,” executive chairperson Robert Friedland said.
Motlanthe was President of South Africa for a period between 2008 and 2009, and he then served as Deputy President from 2009 to 2014. He was Deputy President of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) from 2007 until 2012, and Secretary-General of the ANC from 1997 to 2007.
Ivanhoe is advancing its three main projects in Southern Africa, including mine development at the Platreef platinum/palladium/gold/nickel/copper discovery on the northern limb of South Africa’s Bushveld Complex; mine development and exploration at the tier-one Kamoa-Kakula copper discovery, on the Central African Copperbelt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); and upgrading at the historic, high-grade Kipushi zinc/copper/silver/germanium mine, also on the DRC’s Copperbelt.