Resignation decisions by top brass came in thick and fast this month. First, Terence Goodlace, of Impala Platinum (Implats), surprised the mining industry by announcing that he would step down in December, after four years as CEO. Then Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) CEO Nosipho Siwisa-Damasane announced that she would be leaving after an equal number of years. That was followed by Philippe Mellier announcing his step-down as CEO of De Beers on July 1, after five years in charge. Nobody has been named to take over from Goodlace, but Implats chairperson Dr Mandla Gantsho has expressed his gratitude for the long period of notice that Goodlace has given the company to find a replacement. Excellently placed RBCT finance GM Alan Waller will replace Siwisa-Damasane from July 1, when strategy GM Casper Mbuyazi assumes the finance role (see page 9 of this edition of Mining Weekly). Superbly structured is the way in which Mellier is passing the baton on to Bruce Cleaver, 51, who takes over on July 1. Not only did Mellier, ten years his senior, make it clear at the outset that he would head De Beers for only five years, but he has had Cleaver working alongside him for that half decade.
Wonderful news is that acid mine drainage (AMD), the legacy that mining has left in these parts, can be eradicated at what looks like an impressive profit. While the late Dr RE (Robbie) Robinson was prevented from proving that at the Grootvlei gold mine in 1996, Trailblazer Technologies director John Bewsey has taken over where Robinson left off and unveiled a process that is said to yield a 30% return on investment, by converting acid mine water into valu- able fertiliser materials, as can be read on page 8 of this edition of Mining Weekly. Bewsey is able to show that water can be recovered from the AMD at zero cost and good money obtained from that crème de la crème of fertiliser materials, potassium nitrate.