Transition depends on mineralisation
UNLOCKING POTENTIAL Through active participation and a collaborative approach South Africa’s mineral potential can be unlocked
Stakeholders have been trying to alter the perception of South Africa’s mining sector from that of a “sunset industry” to a “sunrise industry”, but such a transition inherently depends on the country’s mineral potential, states the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM).
“This applies not only to our traditional base of precious metals, diamonds, coal and ferrous metals, and the new uses to which these can be applied, but also to the ‘new metals and minerals’ that our changing industrial demands are creating.”
SAIMM references rare earths, heavy minerals and industrial minerals which have found use in the manufacture of new technologies.
It also notes an increased focus on local beneficiation and value addition. “Estimates from the US Geological Survey and the Council for Geoscience, certainly verify that the country’s mineral wealth is by no means depleted, in that not only are there copious resources of new minerals, [but also] traditional metals and commodities, either at lower grades, at depth, or in undiscovered fields.”
SAIMM notes that finding and increasing the confidence in these resources requires exploration activity. However, the institution notes that South Africa’s share of the African exploration budget has “fallen off a cliff”, from about 36% in 2002 to a “meagre 6%” in 2017.
“The critical question of course, is ‘why’?”
SAIMM says that the reason for the slump in unlocking exploration targets lies in a combination of reasons, including policy issues, licensing issues, funding aspects and access for junior exploration companies.
“Retention licensing also remains an area of concern.”
Further, the institution notes that to ensure that these issues are addressed to break down barriers to entry, creative actions need to be initiated, which would significantly increase exploration activity.
“Through active participation and a collaborative approach, we can make a difference [in terms of] value creation, employment and diversity, ” the institute concludes.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation