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Global investor sentiment towards South Africa improved significantly in 2024, Exxaro FD Riaan Koppeschaar reported on Tuesday, December 3.

In a pre-close message for the financial year ending December 31, Koppeschaar highlighted the expectation of further positive improvements in investment sentiment towards South Africa on the back of factors including energy and logistical advancement.

"It is anticipated that private investment in renewable energy, increased maintenance by Eskom, a smooth run without loadshedding, and transmission system developments, along with the continuation and acceleration in the implementation of the structural reforms in ports and rail, will result in further reducing energy and logistical constraints and positive improvements in investment sentiment towards South Africa," the FD of the Johannesburg-listed diversified mining and renewable energy solutions company elaborated in a stock exchange news service announcement accessed by Mining Weekly.

Impressively, Exxaro's contribution to South Africa's social upliftment has elevated considerably at this time to social strain and a time of lower coal and iron-ore sales at lower prices.

Generously, and in the best interests of South Africa, social investments for the ten months to October 31 amounted to R2.4-billion, which is 26% higher than the R1.9-billion spent during the entire 12 months of 2023.

The local procurement spend on small medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) constituted 75% of that social investment.

Combined, these initiatives have supported 488 SMMEs through local procurement as well as enterprise and supplier development.

A net cash balance of R16-billion (excluding energy net debt) was on hand as at October 31 and the intention is to continue to retain cash of between R12-billion and R15-billion to fund growth.

Fittingly, Exxaro generates clean energy through its wholly owned wind energy company Cennergi, which is forecast to generate 729 GWh of electricity for in this financial year (FY), which is up on 727 GWh generated in FY23 and higher than the guided 720 GWh.

Moreover, commercial operation of the 68 MW Lephalale solar project at the Grootegeluk coal mine are anticipated in the first half of 2025.

The project is a significant milestone for Exxaro in its contribution towards enhanced energy security of Grootegeluk and Lephalale community, decarbonisation of its operations, energy cost savings, and South Africa's energy transition pathway.

Emphasis has been placed on sourcing local talent for the construction of the renewable energy facility, which will employ between 300 to 400 individuals at peak.

As a company whose vision is to invest in resources powering a clean world, the R1,56-billion investment will generate 176 gigawatt hours of clean energy a year and reduce emissions for 25 years from commissioning.

This project covers a 236-hectare development envelope 25 km west of Lephalale in Limpopo. The site is 2 km from the Marapong community settlement and 4 km from Eskom's Matimba power station, which Exxaro provides with coal.

Going into 2025, Exxaro describes global economic activity as remaining well positioned for a further gradual moderation of consumer price inflation, more accommodative financial conditions, and a continuation of the steady global real gross domestic product growth rates.

With respect to Exxaro's key commodities, the average benchmark API4 Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) export price for FY24 is set to be $15/t down on the $120/t of FY23.

Weighing on 2024's the iron-ore market and pricing were subdued Chinese economic growth, persistent downturn in the Chinese property market, robust global iron-ore supply, and increasing China port inventories. Following a set of policy announcements by China, the impact on iron-ore and steel demand was not as supportive.

Expected 2024 coal production of 40 013 000 t will be down on the 42 464 000 t of 2023 and likely 2024 coal sales of 39 844 000 t will not match 202...

The outlook for platinum group metals demand has been uplifted by a series of new developments in the field of platinum-catalysed green hydrogen generation as well as concomitant fuel cell buildouts that are green-hydrogen fed.

On top of South Korea setting out to construct the world's largest hydrogen fuel cell power plant in the coastal city of Gyeongju, Sinopec inaugurating Hong Kong's first public hydrogen refuelling station, and Metrans testing of Slovakia's first hydrogen truck, Toyota UK has constructed ten quick-filling hydrogen fuel cell Hilux prototypes that have diesel-engine range, Tanaka of Japan has developed the world's first bulk nano-sized platinum that has ten times more hardness and four times more strength, BMW is introducing hydrogen-powered tugger trains and forklifts at its digital plant in Germany, and a global coalition of industry representatives at COP29 has brightly spotlighted the major benefits of a far larger investment thrust in hydrogen fuel cells than the $75-billion already at final investment decision (FID) stage across 434 projects.

Moreover, the World Platinum Investment Council has drawn attention to:

Le Havre, in France, being on its way to becoming a central hydrogen hub as part of a French government-backed $1.69-billion initiative involving Air Products and Qair Group.

Electrical demand for platinum in hard disk drives (HDDs) in a cobalt, chromium and platinum alloy which forms the storage layer in HDD stacks.

Platinum finding increasing uses in the semiconductor and sensor industries, with applications growing on the back of rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI), and, in the case of HDDs, the associated need for more data storage capacity. The AI market is projected to grow steeply to around $1.3-trillion over the next decade from a market size of $40-billion in 2022.

The biggest share of end-use platinum demand remains the automotive sector, which has a 40% pull. This is followed by platinum jewellery, which in 2024 absorbed 25% of the eight-million-plus ounces of platinum production. Glass demand takes up 8%, chemical demand 7%, investment demand 6%, medical 4%, petroleum 2%, hydrogen 1% and other 7%.

In South Africa, all speakers at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection's (Mistra's) ninth yearly platinum group metals (PGM) roundtable, on November 27, agreed that South Africa has potential to become a leading player in the hydrogen and fuel cell industry.

By developing capacities, the country can become an indispensable part of the whole hydrogen value chain from mining of minerals and beneficiation, to manufacturing and services, said Mistra executive director Joel Netshitenzhe.

As South Africa progresses its platinum-based hydrogen fuel cell economy, Mistra aims to ensure that the benefits of these emergent industries accrue to all, including youth and communities. Additionally, the institute is focused on securing the global supply of green hydrogen by ensuring PGMs and other critical minerals remain a stable and mutually beneficial source for investment.

Netshitenzhe cited estimates that 35-million tonnes of green hydrogen will be produced by 2035 and form 20% of the EU's energy mix by 2050, while the world is also moving towards more fuel-cell-powered trains, small vehicles, ships and aircraft.

South African hydrogen projects still awaiting FID include Boegoebaai in the Northern Cape, Coega in the Eastern Cape, Saldanha green steel in the Western Cape, Mitochondria's Vereeniging project in Gauteng, the Platinum Valley mobility initiative in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, Isondo Fuel Cells project in Gauteng, and Enertrag green ammonia project in the Northern Cape.

North America's only publicly traded pure-play green hydrogen company, the Toronto Stock Exchange-listed Charbone Hydrogen, reported a 23% year-on-year revenue in the third-quarter of this year, along with progress beginning green hydrogen production at its Sorel-Tracy facility in Quebec next year...

Investment in downstream beneficiation is starting to pay dividends and to show real commercial results, says Tharisa CEO Phoevos Pouroulis.

"We sold our first commercial chrome alloy to an industrial user in South Africa and this really is the first step in a journey that sees us diversifying our product mix and allowing us to beneficiate our product in a unique proprietary way that opens up new markets, for our chrome business," Pouroulis adds.

"Also very exciting is that we've managed to upscale and test our Redox flow battery system, which is a chrome-iron proprietary technology that's developed from the chrome concentrate that we produced on site at Tharisa and ultimately providing a much-needed long-duration, long-life, efficient energy storage solution.

"We've had a very strong operational cashflow year and this really talks to that co-production business model. It truly has shown its resilience and robustness through the commodity cyclicality and volatility.

"Conviction may not be there in the PGM market at the moment but the fact is that these are the times when you need to invest and we see ourselves as being steadfast, committed to our vision and investing through the commodity cycle."

On the environmental front, Tharisa has committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 30% by 2030 and has made strides towards achieving this by signing a 15-year, 40 MW renewable wind and solar energy wheeling agreement with Etana, which equates to about 40% of the company's energy requirements.

This is in addition to its own progressing solar project, which will provide a site-embedded 30 MW of green power.

Tharisa COO Michelle Taylor reports that the co-product nature of the business and strategy embarked on some 15 years ago has served the company particularly well.

"There's been a steady track record over a number of years of profitability as a consequence of this co-product model.

"Touching first on the platinum group metals that we produce, it was a little disappointing to see the PGM basket price down year-on-year. It was expected and something that we planned for and understood.

"PGM prices were down some 28% at $1 362/oz compared with $1 894/oz the prior year. From a supply point of view, there clearly is consistent messaging coming through the market in terms of expectation on further primary supply reduction and what we anticipate going forward into the next years.

"From a supply point of view, there clearly is consistent messaging coming through the market in terms of expectation of further primary supply reduction coming primarily out of South Africa, which we expect to be a main catalyst for PGM price increases.

"From a buying point of view, we saw buying patterns by automakers normalising … with 36% of sales in 2024 being attributed to plug-in hybrids and hybrids themselves," Taylor points out.

Combustion engines, which remain a demand driver, have been relatively stable year-on-year and emission standards being rolled out will impact demand drivers and will call on the use of PGMs.

The London- and Johannesburg-listed chrome and platinum group metals (PGM) miner Tharisa has reported improvements in its production for the financial year ended September 30, which culminated in a higher operating profit.

The group produced 145 100 oz of PGMs for the 2024 financial year, compared with the 144 700 oz produced in the prior year, while chrome concentrate production had increased to 1.7-million tonnes, from 1.5-million tonnes in the prior year.

Notably, the company's chrome output was the highest in its history of chrome concentrate production. Operating profit increased by 26.3% year-on-year to $119-million, compared with an operating profit of $94.7-million in the prior year.

The company's flagship operating asset is the Tharisa mine, located in the Bushveld Complex of South Africa. Tharisa is also developing the Karo platinum project in Zimbabwe through a 76% shareholding in Karo Mining, which, in turn, holds 85% of the ...

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer discusses Menar awaiting Competition Commission approval following its bid for the large Metalloys ferromanganese facility in Meyerton; the long-term outlook for platinum demand being robust amid concerns around supply; and thoughts that South Africa has the potential to become a leading player in the hydrogen and fuel cell industry.

Private investment company Menar, which is awaiting Competition Commission approval following its bid for the large Metalloys ferromanganese facility in Meyerton, is looking to restart at least two of the four furnaces on the site of what was once the world's largest ferromanganese production facility before being shut in 2020.

Bringing two furnaces back online would provide the base for the production of 500 000 t of ferromanganese a year and require a feed of one-million tonnes of manganese ore from South African mines.

"When Samancor decided to close the operations, it was purely because of issues with power availability. Now with Eskom having surplus power, the opportunity is created for ferroalloy producers and Metalloys is one of them," Menar MD Vuslat Bayoglu outlined to Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

Menar intends changing the name of Metalloys to Khwelamet.

Metalloys was once a producer of one-million tonnes of ferromanganese a year on a property that has a gas-fired power station, which Menar would like to revive in tandem with baseload from Eskom, waste-to-power generation and solar power generation.

"We're hoping that by either the end of this year, or early next year, we'll get Competition Commission approval if the authorities are happy with our application. If the numbers make sense, then we will hopefully restart the operations in the next 12 months. That's the plan," Bayoglu revealed.

"It's critical to make the product as green as possible and in addition to restarting the ferromanganese furnaces, we'd like to create an energy complex in the area. Hopefully this project will keep us busy next year.

"If you think about the 16-million tonne to 17-million tonne export capacity from South African manganese mines, a million tonnes is a sizable amount for the mines to supply for ferromanganese production. Assmang decided to close its operation in Cato Ridge, in KwaZulu-Natal. Without it, there will be no ferromanganese production capacity in South Africa, so reviving Metalloys will ensure that the country still has capacity. It will also be great for employment opportunities within the Vereeniging and Meyerton areas," Bayoglu added.

Menar's portfolio of mining assets spans anthracite, coal, manganese, gold, and nickel.

Mining Weekly: Given the closeness to year-end, talk us through Menar's 2024 highlights.

Bayoglu: I'd like to start with what we achieved with our rehabilitation projects. The rehabilitation project at Singani Colliery is almost complete. We're at the stage of dealing with the vegetation, and hopefully by quarter one of next year, we'll be done. We've finished mining our resource at Phalanndwa, in Delmas, and we started rehabilitating the two pits there immediately.

We're hoping to be done with the first pit by the first quarter of next year, so we can start working on the second area, which we call the Madala pit. Hopefully, we will complete the work on the second pit by the end of next year. These are important highlights because these are environmental liabilities and we think that as a responsible miner, we should deal with the rehabilitation once the resource is depleted.

On the operational side, we were ramping up the Gugulethu Colliery in Hendrina, Mpumalanga, where last month we produced 150 000 t of run of mine (RoM) coal, and washed about 90 000 t. Hopefully, we'll reach steady-state production in January, which will be 200 000 t of RoM. We may reach it in December, depending on what happens with the rain because rain slows us down. We employ about 400 people at Gugulethu, which is the newest coal mine in the country and the plant is going to be washing about 200 000 t of coal a month.

We've already started exporting. The washed product is transported to Rietkuil Siding and from there, we rail it to Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBTC). This project was pledged as a commitment to President Cyril Ramaphosa's investment drive and we've delivered o...

The long-term outlook for platinum from a demand perspective is pretty robust. The question, once again, is whether supply will be adequate to meet it.

"In terms of automotive demand, we can't overlook that the drive train is going to continue to electrify. It's just the pace of that electrification that is quite difficult to predict as things stand at the moment," World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) research director Edward Sterck commented to Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

Given platinum's far-reaching application diversity, Sterck was responding a question on WPIC's long-term demand forecast, following its publication on Tuesday of the Platinum Quarterly for the third quarter of 2024, which pronounced the third consecutive platinum market deficit of 539 000 oz for 2025.

Automotive demand continues to features as a demand growth driver for 2025, with the slowdown in battery electric vehicle (BEV) demand leading to a sustained automotive platinum need over a longer period, bolstered by stricter emissions legislation, more hybrid vehicles that contain platinum-catalysed internal combustion engines (ICEs), as well as the additional used of platinum to substitute palladium

Interestingly, automotive demand is projected to hit an eight-year high of 3 245 000 oz next year amid above ground platinum stocks being poised to fall in 2025 to 3 014 000 oz.

"As things stand at the moment, we've seen that ongoing consumer reluctance to adopt full battery electrification is resulting in a slower rate of the growth in battery electric vehicle market share, so higher-for-longer ICE," Sterck pointed out.

Overall, however, a negative compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 1.2% in total platinum group metals demand for automotive applications is expected.

For jewellery, the long-term outlook is broadly flat, but with some signs of upside potential beginning to show.

While significant sub sectors of industrial demand go up and down, industrial demand has over the last 11 years been at a consistent 3.5% CAGR, which is expected to continue.

Meanwhile, in the 2030s, hydrogen is likely to become the biggest sector of all of the others and more than offset the decline in automotive demand.

On the long-term investment demand front, continued growth of demand for the physical bar and coin is likely, with exchange traded fund or ETF demand expected to begin to reflect the ongoing deficits.

"But at some point, given we've got ongoing shortages of platinum for the foreseeable future, ETFs may become a source of supply, albeit at much higher prices than we see today."

SUPPLY DEFICIT

The supply deficit theme is becoming embedded by ongoing mine supply constraints, with a slight 2025 recycling recovery forecast owing to improved availability of end-of-life autocatalytic converters.

The market is expected to reach a deficit of 682 000 oz in 2024, as the exceptionally strong demand from the previous year is sustained, reaching 7 951 000 oz (flat year-on-year) and again exceeding supply, which remains constrained at 7 269 000 oz - a 2% increase year-on-year.

Mining Weekly: Despite some improvements in recycling, platinum supply remains severely constrained. What are the specific challenges facing platinum mining and recycling and how are these are likely to be resolved?

Sterck: In terms of mining, it's really a function of the restructuring activities that the miners have taken in response to the fall in the prices of palladium and rhodium, so we've seen around 10 000 jobs exit the industry through this restructuring process. Some shafts have been placed on care-and-maintenance, with quite big announcements coming out of North America, for example.

In effect, the miners are trying to improve the economics of the mines and prioritising focusing on costs rather than outputs. In terms of recycling, it's just this ongoing shortage of end-of-life vehicles. Yes, we do have a small recovery expected for next ...

Multinational metals and mining group Sibanye-Stillwater and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) have launched the Sibanye-Stillwater Simulacrum mining facility and the Sibanye-Stillwater Centre for Sustainable Mining.

The Simulacrum is a modern mining facility built on the UJ Campus in Doornfontein, Johannesburg, with the support of Sibanye-Stillwater to the tune of R43-million.

The facility, which was built in 2020 and 2021 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, incorporates a vertical shaft, mine tunnels, stope environments, a rescue chamber and extensive virtual reality (VR) infrastructure to replicate underground mining conditions.

The high-tech infrastructure allows students, researchers and academics to gain first-hand experience of realistic underground mining environments in a controlled and safe setting.

Simultaneously, on November 22, the launch event also unveiled the Sibanye-Stillwater Centre for Sustainable Mining, aimed at fostering postgraduate research and integrating Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies.

This centre will focus on advancing mining efficiency and sustainability, with Sibanye-Stillwater committing R12.75-million to fund its operations from 2024 to 2026.

The collaboration between Sibanye-Stillwater and UJ has spanned over a decade, marked by an investment exceeding R55-million in research, technology development and practical training initiatives for mining students.

Since 2013, Sibanye-Stillwater has invested more than R2-billion in education to support the development of skilled professionals.

In a statement coinciding with the launch, Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman emphasised the importance of innovation and skills development in ensuring the mining industry's future.

"The future of our industry depends on innovation, skilled professionals and a commitment to finding safer and more productive ways to mine. These world-class facilities will support the development of skills and expertise needed for the mining industry in South Africa to remain globally competitive and to maintain its critical role in the South African economy and society," he said.

Froneman also highlighted the practical benefits of the Simulacrum in equipping students with hands-on experience in a modern, simulated environment.

UJ Vice-Chancellor Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi spoke at the launch, noting the partnership's focus on bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application.

"The Sibanye-Stillwater Simulacrum enhances the learning experience by connecting theoretical knowledge with practical training. Our partnership allows students to better understand practical mining aspects," he said.

Mpedi further highlighted the Centre for Sustainable Mining's role in integrating 4IR technologies to address sustainability and efficiency in mining practices.

He underscored the broader significance of sustainable mining practices, pointing to their alignment with environmental, economic and social priorities.

"Traditional mining practices have had detrimental effects on the environment and communities, thus making a compelling case for sustainable mining. A sustainable lens aligns environmental preservation with economic growth and social policy," he said.

This approach would ensure that mining continues to serve as a vital economic cornerstone in South Africa while empowering communities for future generations.

Additionally, Mpedi emphasised the transformative role of technology in advancing mining education and safety.

"This project also melds with our interest in technology and the 4IR. This state-of-the-art facility integrates VR and extended reality technologies with physical mine simulations to provide advanced, safer training for mining professionals.

"We have seen through this programme how augmented reality can supplement reality via superimposing computer-generated information over the physical context in real-time," he explained.

He pointed out that such collaborations heralded a shift toward a sust...

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer discusses South Africa being back on the investment radar; concerns that the South African ferrochrome and manganese alloy industry is at risk of vanishing, and the rare earths recovery project, underway in Limpopo.

Potash development company Kore Potash, which owns 97% of the Kola and DX projects in Congo-Brazzaville, has signed a final engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with PowerChina International Group for the construction of the 2.2-million-tonne-a-year muriate of potash (MoP) Kola project.

The EPC contract has been signed at a fixed price of about $1.93-billion, with $708.9-million of that allocated for the construction of transportation links and utility pipelines that will enable the project to avoid relying on State infrastructure.

Kore says the reliance on its own infrastructure will be a critical advantage compared with other potash projects around the world.

"The entry into this EPC contract marks a significant milestone for the Kola potash project. By signing this fixed-price construction contract with one of the largest international engineering groups, the company has minimised risks associated with cost and time overruns typical in large mining projects.

"The company also believes this structure will facilitate accelerated financing and a relatively straightforward construction process, leading us to profitable production," says Kore CEO Andre Baya.

The EPC remains subject to financial close for the project. Kore in April 2021 signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with Summit Corporation, which intends to provide Kore with a debt and royalty financing proposal for the construction of Kola.

Kore expects to receive a nonbinding financing term sheet from Summit by the end of February 2025.

The construction period for Kola is estimated at 43 months and the project is scheduled to deliver first production during the first half of 2029. It has an estimated life-of-mine of 33 years.

As part of efforts to limit the risks of the project construction, the EPC with PowerChina includes provisions for penalties in the event of delayed completion and noncompliance with performance metrics.

Kore says the EPC affirms the board of directors' aim for the company to become one of the lowest-cost producers of potash for sale to Brazil and high-growth markets in Africa.

"Brazil is a potash import-dependent market with significant growing demand. The country is one of the largest net exporters of agricultural goods, which require MoP that helps provide potassium for plant growth.

"Potash is applied in the agricultural sector and is critical to maintaining food supply for the growing global population. The Brazilian potash market is Kore's main target market followed by the high-growth African markets," the company states.

Further, Kore notes that developing the operating capacity to run the Kola operations after commissioning is a challenge and, as such, it has opted for a contract operator model.

PowerChina has submitted a nonbinding proposal to operate the Kola project on Kore's behalf.

"PowerChina has significant experience as a third-party operator of a potash mine, process plant, ports, etc, and has proposed that existing resources be deployed to operate the entire Kola project operation, which could potentially lead to cost savings for Kore," Kore points out.

It notes, however, that there can be no certainty that a binding operator proposal will be entered into with PowerChina, adding that it is also not required to accept PowerChina's proposal.

With a focus on research, development and innovation (RDI), the Mandela Mining Precinct (MMP) is implementing a new strategy for the next five years, with a focus on the future of the South African mining sector.

Speaking at the 2024 Mining Technology and Innovation Showcase, on November 18, MMP executive director Julie Courtnage noted that the new strategy, which was approved on October 30, reflected a shift in thinking for the public-private partnership.

She noted that the new strategy included shifting MMP's focus from having a reactive problem-solving mindset to an anticipatory future focus; moving away from siloed research programmes to larger holistic research portfolios; and moving from point source solutions to a systemic view of research.

The new strategy also aims to shift from an exclusive focus on narrow-reef hard rock mining to other commodities and other types of mining.

"The pursuit of innovation breakthroughs by the MMP is, therefore, going to be through forging a culture and an operating model of a collective of experiential learning and collective experimentation, and we are embracing all the connections with all co-creators," she said, pointing to the memorandum of understanding that was signed between the MMP and the Mining Qualifications Authority in October.

"But the one thing we see is collaboration is hampered by a lack of information flow about what is going on in mining RDI and in mining itself, and so our priority focus over the next five years is, how do we get information to flow, either at site level or across the whole sector. That is quite a dramatic vision and we are very proud of it," she added.

Courtnage said the changing strategy would match the MMP's operating model to sector realities, adding that the MMP would have more of an impact at systems level rather than at point source technology level.

"This will also deliver much simpler scalability and, therefore, impact. We should get improved solutions when we've got people working together with good information flow."

Courtnage also discussed the MMP's vision of co-creating Africa's first test mine with multiple stakeholders.

She added that the MMP was also currently looking at total resource asset management technologies and approaches for asset evaluation and decision-making at an integrated level.

She also noted that the MMP plans to establish a sector-wide mining equipment and technology assessment, verification and certification process.

"Through centralising these kinds of processes, we aim for quite phenomenal cost savings and, of course, the safety benefit, because, as we know, off-the-shelf products are not always suited for the environment in which we are working."

Courtnage also highlighted the focus on automation and mechanisation linked to improved skills and better job opportunities.

The MMP is also looking at tracking and monitoring the impact of innovation on aspects such as safety, productivity and costs, as well as at the possibility of establishing resource recovery zones linked to local economic development to support localisation, industrialisation, improve job opportunities, resource security and to reduce the socioeconomic mining dependency patterns.

"The path that the MMP envisages for at least the next five years takes us on quite a challenging journey and an exciting one to the African Mining Hub. That is not a new name, it's not a location, it's a state of being and a state of operating and we intend to deliver this strategy through conscious connections, very unusual ways of working within this increasing complexity that we face," she said.

Also speaking at the event, Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane highlighted the council's efforts to foster innovation through partnerships and collaboration with key organisations.

He described the relationship between the private and public sectors, in the form of the Minerals Council, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Departme...