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Obituary Danie Krige - South Africa’s Giant of Geostatistics

Danie Krige - an international household name to anyone who studied or practised the science of evaluating mineral resources for mining purposes, died recently in
Johannesburg.

While his name may not be familiar to many people outside the field, so new and revolutionary were his ideas – applying mathematical statistics to the spatial evaluation of orebodies – that the processes he developed were named after him, becoming known in the industry as ‘kriging’. This technique has helped improve ore evaluation methods and reduce the financial risk of investing in mining projects.

CSMI and Synergy Global - building skills to advance business–community relations

Mounting pressure between businesses and communities in various parts of the world is creating serious social and economic risk, demanding intervention by highly skilled practitioners. A new course offered by the Centre for Sustainability in Mining and Industry at Wits University will hone and expand these vital skills.

While government, business, and labour have come a long way in forging constructive ways of working together, the interface with communities is less well-explored and has seen some violent outbursts in recent years – especially in the extractive industries.

Key find for acid mine drainage on World Water Day

A newly developed membrane used to separate waste from water could become key in the treatment of pollutants ranging from acid mine drainage to oil-containing wastewater, as well as in processes ranging from desalination to kidney dialysis.

The research was published in the prestigious international journal Nature on Friday 22 March, coinciding with World Water Day and falling within South Africa’s National Water Week.

Call for Papers to commemorate the work of the late Danie Krige

altThe SAIMM proposes producing a special edition of the Journal, one that will showcase current research and best practices in the field of Geostatistics.

We invite experts in geostatistics around the world to submit papers for this special edition.

Abstracts of papers should reach the SAIMM Publications Co-ordinator, Kelly Mathee
(kelly@saimm.co.za ), by the end of July and the final paper is required by the end of October 2013 for publication in February 2014.

DOWNLOAD THE CALL FOR PAPERS ENTRY FORM (PDF 396kb)

Brigadier Stokes Memorial Award Nomination 2013

In 1980 the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy instituted a prestigious award to commemorate Brigadier Stokes for his outstanding and unique contribution to the South African Mining Industry over a period of many years.
This award consists of a Platinum medal.

The award is made to an individual for the very highest achievement in the South African mining and metallurgical industry, and is not necessarily based on technical considerations.

As can be seen by the long list of illustrious recipients below, the nomination of an individual for this award is taken after much deliberation and input from the SAIMM Council. We therefore urge Corporate Members to take cognisance of the gravitas of this award when submitting their nominations.

Holistic green commitment places Royal Bafokeng Platinum in the Nedbank Green Index

Johannesburg, February 2013 - Nedbank Capital today applauded Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) for its diligent efforts to incorporate environmental sustainability into its strategic plans and operations, which has resulted in the platinum miner being listed on the Nedbank Green Index.

As a mining organization with a clear and obvious commitment to integrated environmental and social sustainability, the inclusion of RBPlat in the Index for 2013 is a well-deserved acknowledgement of the company’s genuine commitment to building a better future for all its stakeholders. That’s according to Laura van der Molen at Nedbank Capital, who commended RBPlat on its significant environmental sustainability achievements over the past year and thanked the organization for its obvious commitment to making a positive and lasting contribution to sustainability, not just in terms of its own operations, but also for South Africa and its communities as a whole.

Infacon XIII to be held in Kazakhstan

The next International Ferro-Alloys Congress (Infacon XIII) is to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 9-14 June 2013. INFACON (the International Ferro-Alloys Congress) was founded in South Africa in 1974 by the SAIMM, Mintek (then the National Institute for Metallurgy), and the Ferro Alloys Producers' Association (FAPA), when the first INFACON was held in Johannesburg.

Platinum 2012 - Spotlight

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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.

SAIMM President's Message

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I
had the privilege of attending the 2013 Mining Indaba in Cape Town in January. I say privilege because, as the event has grown in stature over the years so has the cost of being there. Despite the cost, attendance was excellent with a range of local and global industry participants. However, I felt an uncomfortable sense of disconnect between the fundamental shift in operating context that the South African industry is undergoing and the sense of 'business as usual' in the exhibitors' hall.

Wits Mining retains ECSA accreditation

While continuing to draw increasing student numbers, the School of Mining Engineering at the University of the
Witwatersrand (‘Wits’) is maintaining standards high as it retains its accreditation from the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).

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