State entity the South African Diamond and Precious Metals Regulator (SADPMR) will hold its South Africa Platinum Centenary Commemoration event in Cape Town, on February 4,  a day before the thirtieth Investing in African Mining Indaba gets under way.

The commemoration will be held in partnership with precious metals refiner Metal Concentrators, as part of its MineShift event.

The event is set to celebrate a century of “platinum pre-eminence”, marking 100 years since geologist Dr Hans Merensky discovered the platinum group metal (PGM) deposits in the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC) in 1924.

With the theme “South Africa: Land of Platinum 100 Years”, the event aims to solidify the nation’s and platinum’s inseparable bond, showcasing South Africa as the global synonym for this precious metal, the SADPMR states.

South Africa contributes over 70% of the world’s platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium production.

With over 80% of the world’s known PGM reserves, the country remains the foremost producer of these metals, the regulator points out.

The event will spotlight the BIC’s global significance, its over two billion-year legacy and its geological status. 

A key initiative will be launched at the event to foster national pride in South Africa’s platinum heritage.

The launch at Mining Indaba will announce plans for art, logo design and storytelling or writing competitions aimed at South African schools and tertiary institutions in the second half of the year. Organisations and companies wanting to participate are encouraged to contact the regulator.

There will be a craft showcase, featuring platinum crafts from the regulator’s Enterprise Development Programme, including a special commemorative platinum coin minted by a small- to medium-sized enterprise to mark the centenary.

Minerals and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe will be presented with a commemorative coin, symbolising a century of platinum heritage and mining.

A unique rock sample from the Merensky reef, sponsored by Impala Platinum, will be gifted to dignitaries, boxed with a “story card” which outlines its history and emergence.