JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – South Africa’s Multotec, whose equipment is now used to optimise recoveries and reduce cost of ownership in mineral processing plants in 100 countries on six continents, highlighted its global success on the opening day of Electra Mining Africa 2026 when it formally handed over the CEO baton.

After 20 years of leadership under Thomas Holtz, Multotec announced the appointment of Johan Robbertse as its new Group CEO along with the elevation of Holtz to the chairpersonship of a company that has to a large extent bucked South Africa's deindustrialisation trend.

During his 20-year CEO tenure, Holtz led Multotec through a period of transformation, guided by a vision to build a globally competitive manufacturing business from Africa, powered by African talent.

“We've almost seen everything on a process plant, but we still learn every day, and that's the beauty of having manufacturing. It's 53 years of specialist process knowledge that we can apply," Robbertse explained during the handover ceremony covered by Mining Weekly.

“It's 1 900 people across the globe, speaking various languages, coming from various cultures, that come together to make the mineral process industry great, and may that continue for a long, long time,” Robbertse added.

Supported by manufacturing operations across Africa, South America, Asia and North America, alongside sister companies in Europe and Australia, Multotec evolved into a globally integrated business while retaining its South African roots, a foundation that positions the company for its next phase of growth.

As part of the planned leadership transition, Holtz will focus on strengthening the board's independence and governance while supporting the company's long-term strategic direction and continued international growth.

The leadership transition follows two decades of sustained international growth that transformed Multotec from a predominantly South African manufacturer into a globally integrated business that now exports around 60% of its equipment.

“South Africa and Africa is obviously a key market for us. We have every intention of staying here and growing here. At the same time, we've got to go where the market is, and we know, and obviously those in the mining industry know, the pain that we felt with diamonds.

“Then it varies. Gold is currently doing well and has been doing well for a while now. Then other minerals are struggling, so we have to find where the mining operations are and we've done pretty well in some very remote jurisdictions,” Holtz pointed out.

Holtz joined the company in 1996 as a project manager before progressing through a series of leadership roles across the business.

In 2008, he succeeded his late father and Multotec co-founder, Ernst Joachim (EJ) Holtz, as Group CEO, becoming only the second CEO in the company's half century-plus history.

The appointment of Robbertse, who joined the company in 2010, reflects Multotec’s commitment to leadership continuity to ensure that customer focus, product development and innovation remain embedded.

Regarding Multotec’s latest joint venture business in China, Holtz commented: “We have a presence in China to support the mining industry in China, so that's our priority.

“We've worked with a mining consortium to go into a region that's a little bit less serviced from an international screen product portfolio, but over time we'll add the spirals, we'll add the cyclones. We might add some other products but in that particular region.

“What's amazing, is the Chinese are so welcoming of companies that are prepared to invest and bring technology and skill up local people.

“We've got a strong local market that we can service. We've got a strong local partner who's going to work with us, and we believe our Chinese GM is doing a fantastic job and business in China is about relationships and we build strong relationships with our clients, and hope that we navigate through that way,” Holtz explained.

South Africa and Africa remain Multotec’s biggest market, making up in the region of about 60% to 70%.

In South America, Multotec is established in Brazil and in Chile, with factories running in both territories, using local manufacturing, local expertise and local people, as in China, which is growing very fast.