Mining remains a key pillar to the South African economy. Mining Indaba 2024 (in Cape Town next month) provides stakeholders and regulators with the opportunity to deliberate once again on how this sector can successfully contribute to a better world and a successful economy.

“We look forward to engaging with our partners in the metals and mining space over the five days of the Indaba,” says Jaco Pieterse, regional head of Mining (Turkey Middle East and Africa) at dss+.

South Africa's history is inextricably linked to its rich mining heritage, with cities like Johannesburg evolving from mining towns to major commercial hubs. This industry fuelled by global demand for minerals like gold, diamonds, and platinum, drives the nation's economic narrative. The indaba helps to elevate conversations that move mining towards a sustainable and equitable future. 

The theme of this year’s Indaba – “Embracing the power of positive disruption: a bold new future for African mining” – suggests a positive tone for the gathering. Pieterse says that looking at the various topics on the agenda, it will appear as if mining companies understand that there is a real opportunity driven by a huge demand for stable supply chains of battery and critical minerals. Now is the time to capitalise on these windfalls.  

“But what we do not see on the agenda is also rather telling.  The discussions around sustainability and safety seem to focus on hot topics like the adoption of new technologies and digitalisation, the feasibility of Net-Zero and the applicability of circularity and principles of nature positivity.  While such discussions do have much value, we see that the challenge lies less with intention, and more with implementation.” 

"Reframing the discussion around the value that sustainability and safety can bring in terms of productivity, efficiency and cost reduction, and focusing on the practical steps that miners can take to have an impact will go a long way in galvanising the industry to take more meaningful action.”

Pieterse is one of the dss+ speakers that will be taking part in panel discussions during the course the Indaba. The company’s focus has been on presenting realistic and actionable strategies that address the historical challenges of the industry while paving the way for a more sustainable and equitable future.

On the agenda at Mining Indaba will be:

• Health and Safety as an Inhibitor to mining productivity: How can technology help? (Jaco Pieterse, Regional Head of Mining (TMEA)  dss+) Monday 5 February 2024
• The Investor View: From Rhetoric to Practice – Operationalising ESG Standards in Africa (Gerhard Bolt - Principal, Decarbonisation dss+) Tuesday 6 February 2024
• Tackling sustainability amongst a geopolitically divided world (Johan Coetzee, Global Head of Mining and Metals, dss+) Tuesday 6 February 2024

“We look forward to once again engaging in fruitful and successful discussions at Mining Indaba,” says Pieterse.