Editor’s take: Heading towards the world’s number one city – Cape Town.
As the mining industry and its related sectors gear up to attend the African Mining Indaba, the good news is that Time Out has voted Cape Town as the best city in the world for 2025, beating Bangkok, Thailand (in second place), New York, USA (third), Melbourne, Australia (fourth) and London, England (fifth). The British-based publication’s survey took into account aspects including food, nightlife and culture, affordability, happiness and overall city vibe. A contingent of more than 7000 visitors, both local and international, are expected to attend the Mining Indaba taking place from 3-6 February at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. It is a premier mining event dedicated to fostering successful capitalisation and development of mining interests in Africa.
Stunted PGMs: Miners adapt to stay profitable
Platinum Group Metal (PGM) prices have plummeted in recent times, falling by as much as 84% from their peak in 2021, straining balance sheets and leaving miners and investors with a headache. PGMs consist of six metals with similar properties, the most significant of which are platinum, palladium, and rhodium. They are highly durable and recyclable, possess fantastic catalytic properties, and are corrosion and tarnish resistant. These properties lend themselves to a wide range of industrial uses, including in components of mobile phones, computers and aircraft turbines, and they are also used in the glass making process.
2025 - a transformative year for mining?
With the promise that the cadastral system and amendments to the MPRDA will be shared with industry later in the year and the positive sentiment following the GNU, 2025 is expected to be a change-making year for the long-suffering mining industry.
But, will this positive turn of events be enough to entice international investors to the sector? Modern Mining recently spoke with Minerals Council South Africa’s Junior and Emerging Miners Desk (JEMD) lead, Grant Mitchell, about some of the developments scheduled to influence the junior and emerging mining sector in 2025.
Menar advances cadet programme for underground mining
Mining company Menar, which has two underground operations, believes that training and skills development are crucial to maintaining safety at mines. The company has a diversified portfolio that includes anthracite, coal, and manganese.
Menar is expanding its Mpumalanga-based Kangra Colliery, an underground asset that produces about 1.4 million tonnes of high-quality coal annually. The company invested in developing the Udumo and Uthingo adits, which lie approximately 37 kilometers from each other. This allows it to mine the 41.9 million tonnes of Kusipongo resources.
SEW-EURODRIVE well ahead of the curve as it adopts new standards
Minimum Energy Performance standards (MEPS) have been adopted by South Africa, but SEW-EURODRIVE has long since standardised on premium efficiency motors – and the mining sector has been moving actively in this direction.
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