The establishment of this Chair forms part of a greater initiative in the Department to be a world leader in enabling the mining industry, in its transition to move from being reactive and compliant, to eventually become resilient in issues relating to safety, health, environment and social responsibility and community management.

Sasol Mining contributed R4,2 million to the Department of Mining Engineering to develop the Chair, as part of the Department’s objective to further develop the South African mining industry. The Chair will participate in forefront research activities in the field of SHE in order to deliver world-class research and educational outputs that will benefit Sasol Mining, UP and South Africa.

The University will introduce a certificate programme specifically aimed at SHE in the mining industry, which will be a first of its kind at any South African university. It will also promote interaction between academic institutions and the mining industry to address real industry needs.

“Sasol Mining is proud to be a partner in this key development in research. Safety, health and environmental research is of paramount importance to our business to ensure that South Africa is benchmarked among the best in the world in mining safety. This partnership will strengthen the relationship between academic institutions and the industry in mining research, and the development of world-class solutions within the SHE environment in the mining industry,” said Hermann Wenhold, Managing Director: Sasol Mining.

Sasol will benefit from this investment through interaction with experts in the field of SHE research and teaching, research outputs, short courses in related fields and interaction with undergraduate and postgraduate students through student projects.