Black-controlled mining company Exxaro Resources is blazing a high-technology trail with the launch of a ‘smart’ mine in Mpumalanga. A complete digital replica of the Belfast coal mine will allow it to be managed from any location, anywhere on the planet. Turning the first sods at the start of the R3.3-billion project are Exxaro Resources CEO Mxolisi Mgojo, who is also president of Minerals Council South Africa; Exxaro board member Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, the former Public Service and Administration Minister; Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtshweni, the province’s first woman Premier since 1994; and Emakhazeni mayor TD Ngwenya.