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Mining

Insight into Mining

 

Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe - South African mining magnate and founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals.

"There is a new generation of Africans that have studied in different places, such as France, the US, the UK, and who have returned to the continent with a wealth of experience and knowledge…I am excited when I meet these people across the continent and believe that they will provide the energy, passion and enthusiasm to drive Africa forward. The future of this continent is looking very promising in the hands of these dynamic entrepreneurs."

"As long as the growth of the economy does not benefit the majority of our people, calls for nationalisation will return."

"We’re committed to paying our employees across the board competitive wages and salaries. We want to attract the best and it’s not just about enjoying one’s work but also about getting a very competitive wage and salary. But if we’re expected to pay wages in future that are disproportionate in terms of what we can afford, like any other industry in the world, we have no future."
 

Rupert Soames - Aggreko CEO

“Mines are getting deeper and resources are becoming more difficult to find, but technology is also improving quickly.”

"The future, in my opinion, is bright. I think it is going to be much more diverse and evenly balanced, with more countries mining significant commodities. I think mining will also be less concentrated in South Africa. This is not to say there will be less mining in South Africa, but there will be more mining everywhere else on the continent."

"I also got the feeling that the whole mining industry is taking the community-development side of mining much more seriously, realising that it is an integral part of what we do. This is a step forward."
 

Robert Noronha - Senior Director, Deloitte

“Governments around the world are reassessing their approach to the mining sector. It’s not simply about taxes anymore. It’s about governments striving to take a greater share in every area of the industry. As time goes on, this may drive mining companies to invest in regions based not only on their political stability, but also on the stability of their fiscal regime."
 

Susan Shabangu - Minister of Mineral Resources, South Africa

“I would like to affirm that our government is fully conscious of the reality that mineral development cannot happen unless capital is invested by the private sector. There is room for both private and public returns, indeed these are interdependent."
 

Neil Jacobsohn - FutureWorld South Africa joint CEO

“Mining companies will also need to integrate risk-based corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, and track key performance indicators with the same diligence as they did production. CSR is often not seen as important but it will have to change."
 

Jack Lifton - Co-founder of Technology Metals Research, LLC

“Even in a perfect world, if someone found a wonderful new deposit, you have to build a new mine or a new processing facility first. It would be 5–8 years before you'll see the first few grams of production. In the near term—or possibly the medium or long term—a new supply source would not change anything."

"For a long time, the mining industry as a whole had absolutely no interest in the processing and refining industry. That is no longer true. In the 21st century, the mining industry is noticing that the refining industry has moved forward by leaps and bounds, noticeably in recycling REEs and PGMs. The mining industry is waking up to the tremendous advances in chemistry and metallurgical engineering. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the 21st century."
 

Magnus Ericsson - Director for the Raw Materials Group

"If you’re a serious mining company, you can't ignore Africa. There are two major underexplored areas in the world, Africa and Siberia, and Siberia is closed. We’re seeing explorations shifting from places like South Africa to Gabon, Cameroon and other countries."
 

Tony Zoghby - Deloitte African Mining Leader

“High commodity prices are driving shortages in equipment, labour and other key inputs, pushing costs up. This means mining companies must walk a tightrope between ramping up volumes to meet demand and containing their costs."

"Resource nationalization is, from a strategic stand point, one of the largest sector challenges we face at the moment, and probably for the next few years."
 

Jeremy South - Partner, Deloitte & Global Leader, Mining Advisory

"China’s voracious appetite for commodities has convinced many analysts that the country represents a one-way ticket to long-term commodity price buoyancy, despite anticipated dips along the way. But things in China don’t happen in a straight line, making this type of prediction dangerous."
 

Dr Megan Clark - Chief Executive Officer, CSIRO

“We’re seeing increasing demand at the same time we’re seeing a depletion of our resources, and it’s getting harder to find new resources. This puts new challenges on our innovators ... [for example] we’re looking to automate and add robotics to the whole system.”
 

Eduardo Tavares Raffaini - Partner at Deloitte LLP

“Investments in social responsibility ultimately translate into the ability to bring projects on-stream more rapidly or avoid production interruptions caused by community unrest. Avoiding and managing these issues also may require miners to leverage the same mobile technology communication tools that their target communities rely on."
 

Daniel Joignant - Socio Director IFRS Deloitte, Chile

“With each passing year, mining companies will need to devote a greater amount of time to improve government and community relations. This is much more than a mere marketing exercise. Communities want to speak with executives directly and participate in proposed future developments. Governments need to understand the role mining companies will play in their jurisdictions. To earn an ongoing licence to operate, mining companies must engage local communities much more intimately than ever before."
 

Carl Hughes - Global Head, Energy & Resources at Deloitte, UK

“Every company needs to consider what incidents can cause catastrophic damage to their operations. Without understanding the risks, it is impossible to mitigate worst-case scenarios. To be fair, most mining companies already engage in sophisticated scenario planning. They just need to extend their thinking in an effort to anticipate, and respond to, more extreme events."
 

Philip Hopwood - Partner, Global Mining Industry Leader, Deloitte Australia

“Most companies base their plans on the assumption that their forecasts may vary by 5% to 10% next year, not that things will change by 50%. Yet the factors influencing the global mining industry are moving to a new level of extremity, impelling companies to consider more sweeping scenarios than ever before."
 

Graeme Wilson - Australia’s High Commissioner to South Africa

"Over two-thirds of African countries have mining activities underway, with plenty of untapped potential. It is our view that in resource-rich countries, a well-managed minerals sector can improve employment, income and enterprise opportunities and support progress towards the Millennium Development Goals by delivering sustainable economic development."
 

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