It is generally acknowledged that the mining industry in South Africa is a main source of economic growth and social transformation. However, heads of departments at UP expressed the opinion that mining in South Africa was not meeting the full expectations of investors, government, employees, organised labour, communities, and other stakeholders for a number of complex reasons.

The University of Pretoria has the potential to significantly improve the current perception of the mining industry in South Africa and be instrumental in improving its resilience. This will be achieved by researching some of the underlying causes of the industry's underperformance. This initiative aims to develop significant interdisciplinary research collaboration within UP and external organisations that are researching related topics.

Acknowledging the need for this led to the decision by UP Management to establish the Mining Resilience Research Centre (MRRC) that remains within the Department of Mining Engineering. The Centre was developed as part of the Sasol Mining Chair in safety, health and environment. The centre’s objective is to utilise the resources within the different departments at UP to address challenges relating to the South African mining industry. This will be achieved through integrated scientific research that will contribute to practically implementable solutions. This, in turn, will lead to an increased resilience of the mining industry. establishing the university as a leading international contributor to solutions for complex mining industry problems.

More information on the MRRC is available here.