Verticals

Mining goes digital

By embracing technology, the local mining industry hopes it can become safer and stay profitable.

18 June 2018

The South African mining industry’s best days are seemingly behind it. Although the sector employees 500 000 people and contributes about eight percent to GDP, it’s an ever shrinking part of the South African economy. According to Stats SA, for instance, the annual production index for gold is now 46% lower than it was in 2007.

Mining is a far cry from its heights in 1980, when it employed over 760 000 people and made up 21% of the economy. It also doesn’t help that the ‘commodities boom’ – the decade- long period of rising demand for minerals in the 2000, fuelled by a seemingly never-ending demand from China – seems to be over.

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