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The mining sector has to be part of pragmatic discussions around the consumption of power and elimination of inefficiency and corruption within the existing system, says Mmusi Maimane.
Last week, South Africans had an opportunity to engage at the Mining Indaba and ponder the current state of the mining industry and its future contributions to South Africa.
The world is fast changing, and we are entering the period of increased artificial intelligence, increased automation and increased political polarisation - and the mining sector is not immune to such trends.
Mining has played a significant role in the history of our nation and is poised for an even greater one in its future.
The reality is the products of the future still require minerals to make, and South Africa remains blessed with a mineral bounty like few others.
As Charles Dickens noted, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times" as a result of the unfortunate conflict between Russia and Ukraine the prices of commodities have shot through the roof. This will lead to additional revenue for the mining sector. This windfall should be used to bolster the sector for the future. Let us consider what this entails.
South African mines must partner with financing institutions to address the two areas that need aggressive development.
First, we can no longer ignore the need to reskill and upskill the miners of South Africa.
The workforce is experienced in the old methods of mineral extraction, however, as the rate of automation picks up, we will need more people who can handle complicated equipment, the best people to train are those who are already well versed with mines, the mining community, and mining industry.
This is not only a practical necessity it is also an ethical issue, there is a duty that we share to give as many people as possible access to the economy of the future. Mining of the future will require that employees are digital players and to ensure that, we must provide the necessary training in digital skills. South Africa is ranked low in the digital skills, in the measure of digital skills among the population South Africa ranked 126/140.
Second, we must build digital first mining companies, that is a pivotal paradigm shift which will refresh the sector.
It may seem contradictory to tell people in a hands-on sector to think digital, but it will lead to many efficiencies when fully applied, there are many optimisations that can be offered by going smart, for instance one innovation that helped in reducing the spread of Covid-19 in the mining shafts was the use of thermal scanners.
It is critical the mining sector should fight to be an employer of choice by remaining at the forefront of modern technology. The battle for talent is one that has become global and young engineers are increasingly moving into corporate and into the international market. This is talent that is much needed in our mines.This is an opportunity not to be missed.
Finally, our mining companies will need to be more cognisant of their ESG (environmental, social, and governance practices), especially with respect to the environment. Companies must take measures to embrace and employ green energy technology.
We must find ways to address the energy demands in mines viably and also allow for more options for access to power; this includes accelerating the pace of power generation by independent power producers for mines. The mining sector has to be part of pragmatic discussions around the consumption of power and the elimination of inefficiency and corruption within the existing system.
In addition to this, the sector must improve its partnership with communities in an effort for more inclusive co-governance and equity in the participation of communities and labour.
We must empower communities and allow for mining to play a more meaningful role in South Africa and understand community collaboration is the best way to have sustainable mining in those communities.
In conclusion, we must also pay heed to the blue horizons of demand, it is clear now we are in the early stages of taking cars electric and autonomous, which will offer countries such as South Africa lucrative opportunities.
Battery technology will be critical for the future of transportation and for the future of Africa, we must make sure we learn from the mistakes of the past and make sure we work hard on building our own value addition and beneficiation networks here in Africa.
Let us not simply send palladium to the world, let us do more, let us build our own plants, manufacture battery technology, and ensure it can be sustainable for the globe.
- Mmusi Maimane's views are his own.
