The South African Minister of Science and Technology, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, launched the Mandela Mining Precinct, one of the outcomes of the Mining Phakisa. The Minister was joined by the Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources, and Trade and Industry, Bulelani Magwanishe.
The Mining Precinct aims to support local innovation to provide technological solutions to the challenges faced by the mining industry in South Africa, including mineworkers’ health and safety.
The institution, named after former President Nelson Mandela, will help to position mining as a core driver of world-class technological and manufacturing capabilities for the development of the economy.
The event also saw the launch of the Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa (MEMSA), a mining equipment-focused organisation that aims to position South Africa’s mining capital goods manufacturers as globally competitive, innovative, dynamic and transformative. An exhibition was held to showcase some of the equipment.
The Mandela Mining Precinct is a collaboration between the DST, through its entity the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Minerals Council South Africa (previously the Chamber of Mines), and the Universities of Johannesburg, Pretoria and the Witwatersrand.
