The Mining Alumni Society of the University of Pretoria (MASUP) held its 46^th Presidential Gala Dinner aboard the luxury train of Rovos Rail, departing from Pretoria, on 4 November 2023. The event was attended by about 120 guests, including staff members and alumni of the University’s Department of Mining Engineering, and prominent colleagues from industry.

The keynote address was delivered by Willie Theron, Operations Executive at Northam Platinum Holdings. He provided the guests with insights into the state of the mining industry in South Africa. He remarked that nobody can dispute the critical and very important foundation block that the South African mining industry plays in the livelihoods of a multitude of secondary industries, including the service sectors, government and the country’s fiscus at large. “For every one person employed in the mining industry, another 17 people benefit,” he observed.

He commented on some of the significant headwinds that the South African mining industry is facing. This includes the striving for clean energy, which is causing the world to move away from coal. Capital for new mines is therefore not going to be easily forthcoming. The world is also pushing for battery electric vehicles in a move away from internal combustion engines. The raw materials needed for this new-generation vehicle are not in abundance in South Africa, and include metals such as cobalt, graphite, lithium, nickel and copper.

This suggests that the South African mining industry is on an accelerated trajectory of contraction, which will cause it to drop to less than 300 000 jobs in the next two to three years. This is in contrast to the 475 000 people currently employed in the industry.

However, Theron reminded guests of the popular adage: “If it is not farmed, it is mined.” He commented that the world needs metals and minerals to function, and it remains inevitable that the mining industry will continue to function to satisfy these needs, regardless of the prevailing circumstances. “South Africa now, more than ever, needs a competitive mining industry,” he remarked. It is therefore a focused imperative to remain relevant in the hard business of mining.

He concluded by reminding guests that the Department of Mining Engineering at the University of Pretoria has a long history of excellence in mining engineering education. As such, he believes that the Department will continue to evolve to meet the challenges of industry; that it will continually step up and be a solutions catalyst and path creator to navigate the turmoil that he highlighted in his address.

South Africa remains a significant supplier of commodities in the world. Given the size of our resources compared to that of the rest of the world, South Africa can remain an important mining jurisdiction.