News

Hardcopies of the SAMREC and SAMVAL Code reprint is now available from the SAIMM secretariat.

Welcome to the new SAIMM website. All members can now update their details (with a new username and password that have been e-mailed to you). The membership fee payment system will be available in the next few days  – remember to clearly reference your payment. Conference attendees can also book online. We would like to invite you to submit any feedback, comments or queries regarding our site to our manager, Ms Julie Dixon at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 011 834 1273.

Enjoy the site!

Topic: Mineral Resource and Reserve Reporting Codes – by Roger Dixon
Thursday 17 September 2009
17H00 for 17:30
at The South African Museum of Military History
Download the registration form
The reporting requirements of international securities exchanges are becoming ever more stringent. Whilst the South African mining fraternity have had several years of exposure to the SAMREC and SAMVAL codes, developments afoot elsewhere in the world are sure to have an impact.
Roger Dixon is currently the Chairperson of the SAMREC/SAMVAL Committee and of the Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards (CRIRSCO).
Please join us as he discusses the principles of the local codes and some of the challenges faced by Competent Persons in complying in the current business environment.  He will also discuss developments in National Reporting Organisations around the world and the reporting requirements of international securities exchanges.

Colleagues,

 We are again coming to the end of another year. Many of you will agree with me that 2009 was an eventful year. The global financial crisis, which started towards the end of 2007, has had a more devastating effect in our industry this year than in the previous two years, with business slowing down and more jobs being lost. Many mining houses have had to cut back on spending to remain afloat. This meant that fewer people could afford to attend many of our technical events. I am told that the Chinese ideogram for ‘crisis’ is composed of two separate characters: one means danger and the other means opportunity. The proper translation is that a crisis is a dangerous opportunity. Often the danger is more readily seen and the opportunity can be well hidden. So, while many of the businesses fell on the wayside, and others disappeared completely altogether, others found this as an opportunity to fine tune procedures and processes and transform into more efficient operations, ready for the coming boom times. We, at SAIMM saw the crisis as an opportunity too. 

We managed to re-organise ourselves and do things differently and more effectively.   

This has resulted in a number of successes.

Let me start by reviewing some of this year’s highlights in the various institute’s various departments: 

The President and Council of the Institute invite members, their guests and members of other constituent societies to attend the Annual General Meeting 2009 Thursday, 13 August 2009

The Country Club, Johannesburg, Napier Road, Auckland Park, 2006 at 16:30

AGENDA

1. Welcome
2. Confirmation of minutes
3. Obituaries
4. Honorary Fellow—I.J. Walton (awarded posthumously)
5. Brigadier Stokes Memorial Award
6. Presentation of awards, medals and certificates
7. Presentation of student prizes
8. Annual report of the council and accounts for the year ended 30 June 2009
9. Declaration of election of office bearers and members of council for the year
2009/2010
10. Election of auditors and honorary legal advisors for the year 2009/2010
11. General
12. Induction of President—J.C. Ngoma
13. Presidential address
14. Vote of thanks
15. Photographs of all council members
A cocktail party will be held after the meeting (see separate notice)

By A.M. Garbers-Craig
Without refractory materials most of the scientific and technological inventions and developments we know today would not have been possible. The existence of virtually everything we see around us, or use in everyday life, is in some way dependent on refractory materials. Refractories are therefore facilitating or enabling materials, and are essential to the successful operation of any industry in which high temperatures are used .
The word ‘refractory’ is derived from the Latin word, ‘refractarius’, which means stubborn . These materials resist high temperatures, have high-quality mechanical and thermomechanical properties, have high corrosion resistance, act as a heat buffer between the walls of the containing vessel and the hot charge, and conserve process heat.
Reliability and long service life are required from materials when put into operation. Refractory cost is therefore expressed in terms of tons of product produced, i.e. the cost of the refractory material is weighed against useful life and replacement cost. A refractory material is a type of engineering ceramic called an ‘industrial ceramic’ . Refractory materials, however, have
coarser grain sizes and higher porosities than engineering ceramics, and consist of aggregate particles, held together by a bonding (matrix) phase, where both the aggregate and the bond can be multiphased .
Download the full PDF here...

At the beginning of a brand new year, one automatically reflects on the past year, and contemplates what 2009 will bring. I am sure you will agree that 2008 was a very eventful year for our industry, which started with the South African power crisis in January, and ended with the global financial crisis that resulted in an economic slowdown, currency volatility, a sharp pull-back in commodity prices and rising unemployment. Economists predict that 2009 will be a tough year, that we need to tighten our belts, and that we will have our fair share of challenges. Fortunately the majority of economists remain optimistic about the resilience of our economy, and some even predict that by the end of 2009 the South African economy might be stronger than is considered possible at present.

My wishes for us who work in the mining and metallurgical industry for 2009 is therefore that we will seize the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, that we will persevere, strive towards excellence, capitalize on positive news and celebrate our achievements, notwithstanding the hardships. And on a more personal note: my wishes for you for 2009 are that you and your loved ones will enjoy good health, that you will find inspiration, meaning and happiness in your lives, and that you will savour the good times! May 2009 pleasantly surprise us! A.M. Garbers-Craig President