In 2024, the Minerals Council marked 135 years of championing the mining industry. This milestone reflects not just our history, but our resilience, adaptability and commitment to shaping a thriving sector. Over the past year – my first full year as CEO – we have made tangible progress on our strategic goals, tackling challenges head-on while driving meaningful impact for our members and the industry.

The year under review can be characterised as one of purposeful action, resilience and meaningful collaboration and partnerships. In 2024, we focused on our four strategic priorities:

1. Addressing critical infrastructure challenges through decisive action.
2. Strengthening advocacy for a globally competitive mining industry.
3. Enhancing the Minerals Council’s operational effectiveness.
4. Driving transformation and sustainable growth.

Despite persistent challenges, we achieved significant milestones in each of these areas, laying the foundation for further progress in the year ahead.

Guided by our clear mission, we continued to position the South African mining sector to transition effectively from potential to performance, driving economic growth, investment and transformation in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

The strength and sustainability of the South African mining industry lies in its diversity. While gold production continues to decline, the growth in bulk commodities is adding to the performance of the industry and contribution of the country’s GDP. Future growth from investment in exploration is also required, particularly in minerals that will enable a just energy transition and support the social and economic development of the country. Our advocacy for an enabling mining legislation and investment environment is widely acknowledged. We anticipate that our engagements with Government will yield market friendly legislation that will drive increased investment in the sector.

Looking ahead into 2025, and within the context of our strategic priorities, there are five outcomes that we aim to achieve in the year ahead. 

1. To strengthen our climate response and advance a just energy transition by driving responsible mining practices and reducing carbon emissions. This includes establishing an aggregate view of our members’ climate response strategies in terms of mitigation and adaptation as well as efforts on a just transition.
2. Our advocacy will be enhanced through a data-driven approach and building our culture of “Data-R-Us” in our approach to policy engagement, ensuring that our positions are backed by clear evidence of mining’s impact on the economy and society.
3. We will accelerate investment promotion by leveraging policy reforms and global events such as the G20 and B20 to showcase South Africa as a destination for responsible mining investment. 
4. We plan to further contribute towards improving infrastructure efficiency in logistics and energy to remove barriers that hinder the sector’s growth.
5. There will be increased support for transformation initiatives to create a more inclusive and representative industry, ensuring that mining continues to provide opportunities for all South Africans.

Mining must go beyond extraction – it must drive inclusive growth. South Africa can move up the value chain, transitioning from a supplier of raw minerals to a global leader in beneficiation and advanced production.

Realising this potential requires bold investment in local processing capabilities, coupled with policy reforms that create a stable and attractive investment environment. This shift requires strategic investment in local processing capabilities and a coordinated policy framework to attract investors. 

South Africa’s diversified minerals endowment offers uncontested exploration and mining growth potential for minerals critical to, firstly, the infrastructure and economic development of the country, and, secondly, enabling the just energy transition to a low-carbon future. Our mining industry has significant growth potential that can change our fate and fortunes and transition the country into prosperity for decades.

The future of South African mining requires bold action. By championing reforms, advocating investment and embracing innovation, we can unlock a new era of growth. Mining is more than an industry – it is a catalyst for economic transformation, job creation and a sustainable future for all South Africans.