During the University of Pretoria (UP)’s graduation ceremony on 9 May 2024, the Department of Mining Engineering boasted with the graduation of two exceptional candidates: Dr Manie Kriel, CEO of VBKOM engineering consultants, who obtained his PhD, and Divine Ile, who is also employed at the consultancy, who obtained her master’s degree cum laude.

Dr Kriel is a proud UP alumnus, and as an industry leader, closely monitors the quality of the graduates produced by the Department of Mining Engineering. “I must commend the Department for never compromising the high standards that industry expects of a mining engineer graduating from the University of Pretoria.” As a result, Dr Kriel currently employs nine mining engineering graduates from UP, including Ms Ile. “I rate a mining engineering qualification from UP very highly, as it continues to raise the standard for the mining industry, not just in Africa, but globally.”

His PhD research entailed evaluating the decline of the South African mining industry, from being a world leader for more than a century, to the point where blue-chip mining houses are divesting out of South Africa. “The country has a wealth of mineral resources that should serve the nation well for another 150 years,” he remarks. His research proposed a framework for mining entrepreneurs, as well as the Mining Regulator, to return South African mining to a state of health that can attract foreign direct investment. He hopes that his research will contribute to turning this decline around in the next decade.

Ms Ile’s research, on the other hand, was focused on improving hard rock pillar mining, specifically investigating the use of backfill to reinforce pillars in hard rock bord and pillar layouts in South Africa’s gold mines. She explains that the confinement limit equilibrium model that she used in her research proved to be a valuable approach to simulate the effect of backfill confinement on pillar strength. “Mining areas where pillar strength is reduced due to the presence of weak layers may benefit significantly from the placement of backfill. In addition, the use of backfill will reduce the requirement for surface tailings storage at mines, thereby minimising the risk of environmental damage.”

This is Ms Ile’s third degree obtained from the University of Pretoria, and she considers it an honour to be associated with an institution that is ranked as one of the top universities, both in Africa and in the world. “I am elated to be a product of this institution,” she remarks.

Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman, Associate Professor and former Head of the Department of Mining Engineering, is proud of these two graduates, not only for their contribution to the Department’s research output, but for their role in the advancement of the South African mining industry.