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TOP NEWS

  • Passing of Professor Peter Gaylard

    Professor Peter Gaylard16 July 1942 – 4 February 2024

    We learned recently of the passing of Prof Peter Gordon Gaylard, a Retired Fellow of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. He joined the SAIMM as a Student member on 17 November 1965 and received his 50-Year Membership Lapel Badge at the SAIMM Annual General Meeting on 11 August 2016.

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  • 2024 SAIMM Conferencing Survey

    2024 SAIMM Conferencing SurveyThe SAIMM remains committed to providing world class and relevant conferencing to its members and the larger Mining fraternity. To ensure that we meet this standard, we require information from you. Particularly conference topics which interest you most. Click here to participate in this survey which will run until 29 February 2024. We require less than 5 minutes of your time.

  • SAIMM Mining Exhibition at the Sci-bono Discovery Centre

    In July 2014 the SAIMM mining exhibition was opened at the Sci-bono Discovery Centre in Newtown, Johannesburg. The exhibition presents the opportunity to showcase the industry, provide information and encourage visitors to Sci-bono and learners to consider careers in the minerals industry.

    It has been over 9 years since the official opening of the exhibition. The SAIMM is in conversation with the Sci-bono team regarding upgrading of the facility. Should you or your organisation be interested in supporting this project, through expertise or financial support, please contact communications@saimm.co.za or sam@saimm.co.za to pledge your support.

    We look forward to your support in revitalizing the exhibition.

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  • We are live! SAIMM The Crucible

    podcast 2 29082023

    The Crucible is a podcast by the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. The objective is to ensure that our stakeholders have relevant information to enable decision making in an unpredictable future. Through the podcast we offer listeners a front row seat to conversations with specialists, experts and thought leaders in the minerals and metals sector. We discuss pertinent topics and burning issues to ensure that all stakeholders have real, in-time information.  

    If you would like to participate by suggesting a topic, being interviewed, or recommending an industry expert, contact Sam Moolla on sam@saimm.co.za

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  • Nolitha Fakude Chairman of Anglo American Honoured with the Brigadier Stokes award by SAIMM

    Nolitha Fakude 22082023The Brigadier Stokes memorial award is the highest achievement in the South African mining and metallurgical industry. The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy has the privilege to honour Nolitha Fakude with this award in recognition of her service and contribution to the industry.

    Nolitha Fakude, the Chairman of Anglo American was presented the medal at the SAIMM Annual General Meeting on 18 August 2023. The medal is a symbol of her contribution to the mining fraternity. Nolitha is the current President of the Minerals Council of South Africa (MINCOSA), Non-Executive Director of the JSE Limited and Vice President of the International Woman’s Forum South Africa. She is also the Patron of Guild Cottage home for girls.

    Previously, Nolitha served on the Board of Anglo-American plc from 2017 to 2019. She has worked in senior executive roles in various industries including Retail, Financial Services, Mining, and Oil and Gas. She served as an Executive Director and Executive Vice President of Strategy and Sustainability at Sasol Limited, and Chairman of Sasol Mining from 2010 until 2016. Nolitha was the President of the Black Management Forum (BMF) from 2003 to 2006 and its Managing Director between 2000 and 2003. She also served as a non-executive director of Harmony Gold 24 years ago. She now serves as a member of the Council of Elders and is a respected authority on transformation and empowerment in South Africa.

    On accepting the 2023 Brigadier Stoke Memorial award, Nolitha quoted Maya Angelou saying ‘I come as one but I stand as ten thousand.’ As she accepted the award on behalf of all the unknowns in the mining and metallurgy industry.

    Her accolades include: The 2004 Most Influential Businesswoman by Financial Mail, Impala Platinum Young Entrepreneur Award and the National Honor by the Golden Key Society of the University of Johannesburg. Nolitha has led from the front and has not been shy to tackle the tough issues that business has to deal with including policy reform to enable inclusive economic growth. Nolitha is an author of a book titled, “Boardroom Dancing – Transformation stories from a Corporate Activist”, published in 2019.

    She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Psychology from the University of Fort Hare and completed the Senior Executive Programme at Harvard Business School in the United States.

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From the committees

  • What Diversity and Inclusion Means to Me

    Zohreh Fakhraei 01062022Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.
    – Verna Myers

    When I was a child and someone would ask me what I wanted to be in future, I could not answer their question. You see, I wanted to be a pilot and, in my country, women were not allowed to be pilots. As a teenager, I remember crying because I was born a girl and I would never have the chance to be a soccer player in our national team.

    Yet, I was lucky to be one of the first female mining engineers to graduate 20 years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. I had finally been ‘invited to the party’, but I still needed to fight for the opportunity to dance.

    My journey as a female mining engineer was exciting but I have had to constantly stand up for my rights, position, and a fair income. I needed to prove that my ability is no different from that of any other mining engineer. I wanted to succeed, not only for myself but also for future female mining engineers.

    For me the concept of Diversity and Inclusion is important for all people regardless of their gender, race, culture, religion, and age. They should be able to dream and be allowed the opportunity to follow it. No one should encounter prejudice or have to fight for their basic rights. Everyone should be equally heard, seen, and respected.

    I believe, that every single one of us in the mining industry has the responsibility to make this happen. We need to strive for a diverse and inclusive working environment which will result in an industry that is more innovative and productive when it comes to the business of mining.

    Zohreh Fakhraei
    Principal Consultant: Mining

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From the President's Corner

  • Mines, Wines, and Art at the Mining Indaba

    I recently had the privilege of attending, and representing the SAIMM at, the inaugural Mines, Wines and Art, which was held in the Convent Courtyard at the Goodman Gallery in Green Point, Cape Town on Sunday 4 February 2024. This event, occurring on the eve of the ‘Investing in African Mining Indaba’, aims to establish itself as a highlight of

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  • The SAIMM and ESGS

    I am sure many of you are aware that the SAIMM established the ESGS Committee a little over two years ago. The Committee deals with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability (S). ESG and Sustainability have become increasingly important for mining companies in recent years. Climate change and rising global temperatures are affecting biodiversity and leading to droughts, floods,

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  • Reflections on 2023

    The mining industry in South Africa faced significant challenges in 2023. The robust economic recovery post-COVID that had led to impressive returns for mining companies in 2022 did not continue. In 2023 there was a general decline in revenue and profits across the industry, with the notable exception of gold miners. Volatility in commodity prices emerged as a major disruptive

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From the Journal Comments

  • Ticking boxes won’t revive the mining industry

    The mining industry, which has been the engine of growth of the South African economy for about 150 years, has stalled. Commodity prices have plunged and production costs risen as the infrastructure within which the mines operate has deteriorated. Production is restricted by erratic power supplies and exports are throttled by Transnet’s lack of capacity and problems at the ports.

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  • A window into the ramifications of journal publication

    The SAIMM Journal is an accredited international publication which enjoys respect and recognition worldwide. There are very few international journals focussed on mining and metallurgy, and therefore the SAIMM Journal makes a very important contribution in these fields. Because there are relatively few ‘academic/research’ personnel in mining and metallurgy compared to the numbers in the diverse avenues of industry, the

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‘Christmas is coming, the goose is really fat.

Please put some lolly in the poor families’ hat’ Parody on a Christmas chant This is the appropriate time to express the hope that all readers have a joyous festive season and to convey my best wishes for the forthcoming year. But it is also the time to pick out some items that relate to features of the industry in 2007. Very pleasingly, there have been a lot of papers on the mining aspect, many of which relate to mine planning, decision making and the selection of mining methods. It is fitting that in this end-of-year issue there are several papers on this topic including the application of ‘fuzzy logic’ to assist in decision making.

Of course the most important considerations in vital decision making are guidelines based on experience, expertise and familiarity with the theoretical aspects of rock mechanics. But it could be of value to be involved in the statistical approach so that in time a database can be built up to reduce the ‘fuzziness’ in the mathematical approach. One of the dominant topics in mining is the focus on mine safety and the concerns that have been expressed at many levels at the fatalities that have hit both gold and platinum mining operations in the last few months. Fatalities in mining are in the same category as road fatalities in that there is only one way to reach a zero target and that is to ban all humans on roads and in mining underground. I hesitate to join the band of armchair experts who pontificate on these tragic events and pronounce on the steps that have to be taken to expose and punish those deemed to be responsible.

But I must confess that I am surprised at the ‘fuzzy’ logic of the Chamber of Mines in joining hands with the National Union of Mineworkers on an across-theboard strike to protest against the recent accidents. All those involved in industry and government have expressed their distress and determination to allocate highest priority to safety aspects. A work stoppage would achieve nothing. What would be far more effective is not a polarization between management and workers but an affirmation of a determination to collaborate in attacking a frustratingly difficult problem. What a wonderful inspiration it would have been for the COM, NUM and the mining companies to join hands in an alternative approach. Rather than incur the losses of a one-day shutdown, they could allocate an equivalent amount of money to a fund to compensate the families and dependants of those killed or disabled. Another paper in this December issue that attracted my attention is that on the cleaner production (CP) assessment of the fine-coal waste material arising from most mines.

Coal was certainly a major topic during 2007, not so much in terms of papers in this Journal but in hitting the headlines in the media and in public opinion. This was the result of the frantic drive on the part of Escom to increase power production to meet the ever increasing demand. In reaching all-time records in exports, local consumption and prices, coal mining has emerged not as the Cinderella of the mining industry compared with gold and platinum but as a respected member of the billionaire club in terms of economic importance. Regretfully there were not only highlights but also lowlights, in the media focus on the degradation of farming areas and the environmental impact on water resources from the ubiquitous acid mine drainage (AMD).

The paper describes work at the University of Cape Town sponsored by the Water Research Commission, in identifying ways of avoiding the production of utilizing the fine-coal wastes, which seem to be inevitable in South African coal mines. It is claimed that there is a production of over 10 million tons a year of such material, and the energy value of these fines is of the same order as the run-of-mine coal (24 megajoules/kg). The assessment protocol focuses on an evaluation of various options to avoid dumping of these fines, for example by coarser grinding, or using the fines for the production of power or alternative fuels such as briquettes for low cost domestic use. Conversion to methane or liquid fuels is also considered as alternative ways of using these waste materials. Feasibility studies based on net present value calculations are then used to select the best clean production technology to be adopted.
However, like so many environmental assessment protocols and reports, there is little experimental evidence, and often this leads to rather superficial conclusions. For example, in this paper, no mention is made of the sulphur content of the fines which I believe is generally higher than in the coarse coal fractions and the fines are discarded to meet specifications. The sulphur is the crucial factor in the production of AMD, which has caused so much comment. Separation of coal and the sulphides such as in pyrite or organic sulphides in the coal, although not impossible, is not a matter of a simple flotation process, as implied in the CP assessment report. From several previous Journal Comments, readers will know that I rate the AMD problem as one of the ‘majors’ in what should be a national research initiative, particularly if coupled with the potential for utilizing the energy value of these coal fines in this time of power shortages. It seems that the DME feel likewise, and it was pleasing to learn that they have sponsored a chair of Clean Coal Technology in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand. So let us look forward to many research papers appearing in our Journal on coal from this group.  R.E. Robinson December 2007