The SAIMM is a professional institute with local and international links aimed at assisting members source information about technological developments in the mining, metallurgical and related sectors.
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Publications

  • JOURNALS

    JOURNALS

    • Subscriptions
    • Back Issues

    The Journal is the organ of The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, which is the professional body dealing with the interests of managers, engineers and technical and research personnel involved in the mining and minerals industry.

    The Journal, published since 1894, is issued monthly, and is sent to the individual members and company affiliates of the SAIMM. Complimentary copies are sent to a wide range of local and overseas companies, universities, research organizations and libraries. Both hard copy and an electronic copy of the Journal are made available.

    Rightfully claiming to be the leading mineral industry publication in South Africa, the Journal has high standards both of content and presentation. All papers are peer reviewed and recognized by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and cited by Thomson ISI (formerly the Institute for Scientific Information). It provides its readers with vital information related to the SAIMM and the mineral industry, reports on day-to-day mining operations and practices, and on improvements in technology and equipment.

  • PAPERS

    PAPERS

    • Conference Papers
    • Journal Papers
    • Journal Comment

    The Journal contains papers that are selected from conferences that are run by the SAIMM and papers that are submitted by individual authors from around the world. The papers are reviewed by two referees who have been nominated by the Publications Committee.

    The published papers are recognised by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and are indexed or summarised by:

    • Elsevier Compendex (Computerized Engineering Index)
    • Elsevier Scopus
    • GeoRef
    • Web of Science
    • IMM Abstracts (Institute of Mining and Metallurgy)
    • Thomson Reuters
    • Engineering Index Monthly
    • Environmental Engineering Abstracts
    • CIS Abstracts (Computer and Information Systems)
    • SciELO SA

    Papers that are authored or co-authored by a member of the SAIMM will be eligible for the Institute’s gold or silver medal award and certificate of merit.

    The SAIMM has adopted an Open Journal System (OJS) for managing the submission and review of papers. This is run in conjunction with the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)

  • BOOKS

    BOOKS

    • Monograph Series
    • Special Publication Series
    • Symposium Series
    • Library Books

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The SAIMM convenes a platinum conference, around a theme, every two years. Previous themes have been ʻPlatinum Adding Valueʼ in 2004, ʻPlatinum Surges Aheadʼ in 2006, ʻPlatinum in Transformationʼ in 2008, and ʻPlatinum in Transition – Boom or Bustʼ in
2010. With increasing industrymaturity it was felt that an appropriate theme for 2012 was platinum as a ʻCatalyst for Changeʼ.

The conference was a high-quality event with an overwhelming vote of support and positive response from the many delegates that I engaged with. I was pleasantly surprised with the attendance, given the current disrupted state of the industry.


The event was well supported, with 295 attendees of whom 34 were from outside of South Africa. The programme was well balanced, covering both technical and socio-economic issues in the keynotes and the paper sessions, with the market perspective and the final day panel discussion nicely rounding off the programme. A total of 74 papers were presented across 35 sessions. The keynote topics covered challenges and opportunities in the platinum industry (C. Griffith, Anglo American); the role of leadership in making the difference between good and bad change (J. Koolen, Independent Strategy Consultant); the hiatus in South Africa's economic transformation and how to restart it (M. Rossouw, Xstrata Alloys, and Chairperson –Energy Intensive Usersʼ Group of South Africa); roles, responsibilities, and accountability for sustainability (S. Phiri, Royal Bafokeng Holdings); events at Mangaung and Marikana and the unforeseen impact of mining policy in South Africa (M. Solomon); and an overview of the performance of the health and safety sector (D. Msiza, Department of Mineral Resources). The papers selected for publication in this edition of the Journal reflect a crosssection of topics across sessions.

Despite the challenging times, the conference team managed to secure record sponsorship, with some forward ʼcommitmentʼ to the 6th International Platinum Conference in 2014. Sponsorship of the event was exceptional, with 25 companies choosing to take sponsorship packages and/or to exhibit. A sincere ʻthank youʼ is
due to all sponsors, without whom events of this nature cannot be offered to our members at competitive prices.

Finally, heartfelt thanks to the volunteers who made up the Organising Committee and the conferencing team of the SAIMM; you did a stunning job.

Gordon L. Smith Pr Eng PhD
Chairperson
Organising Committee