Interesting facts and figures about mining in SA as presented by Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral Resources at the opening of Investing in African Mining Indaba, on Monday this week, in Cape Town.
“Despite the decline in gold mining due to complexities and costs of safely reaching deposits at depths over 4 kilometres, in 2023 South Africa’s gold production reached 96 tonnes, thereby becoming the world’s thirteenth (13th) and Africa’s fourth (4th) largest gold producer. The sector further employed over ninety thousand (90 000) people, making it the third largest employer after coal and the platinum group metals (PGM) sectors.
In 2021, South Africa’s PGM production reached its highest level in the past decade with 285 tonnes. Notwithstanding the decline in the PGM basket price, in 2023, South Africa was the world’s largest producer of PGMs, accounting for 73% of global new mine supply of platinum, 38% of palladium and 81% of rhodium supply to global commodity markets.
South Africa has approximately 37% of the world’s manganese ore reserves, thereby securing its position at the pinnacle of manganese reserve rankings globally. In tandem with its vast reserves, South Africa also leads in manganese production with an output of 7.2 million metric tonnes in 2023.
Regrettably, only 2% of these manganese ore is processed in the country, as estimated by the International Manganese Institute. In cognisant of this reality and the fact that a lot of value is derived in the processing of these resources, we will this year intensify our engagements with the manganese producers and investors to invest in local beneficiation and thereby add value to these minerals.
Despite the ongoing work to develop the new mining licensing system, I can also report to you that the department continues to clear the backlog in prospecting and mining applications. Between our last meeting here and December 2024, the department processed and finalised 114 mining rights, 982 prospecting rights, and 385 mining permits and ancillaries.”