Mechanise or die out, Chamber of Mines warns

Cape Town – If the mining industry sticks to its conventional extraction methods the industry could die out almost completely by 2033, said Chamber of Mines vice-president Neal Froneman at the Mining Indaba. 

At a media conference held on the sidelines of the 2017 Mining Indaba on Wednesday Froneman, also CEO of Sibanye Gold, said with conventional mining methods the industry will see a sharp decline in gold production by 2019/20 and may become extinct 13 years later. 

However, this dire outlook for mining changes radically when mechanisation becomes part of the equation.