Mpumalanga Business 2022-23

INTERVIEW
Mapping for safety and
economic growth
Dr Taufeeq Dhansay, Manager of the Minerals and Energy Geoscience Mapping
Programme, explains how important geoscientific mapping can be for every
aspect of society and gives a progress report on the Council for Geoscience’s
carbon capture research.
Dr Taufeeq Dhansay, Manager,
Council for Geoscience
BIOGRAPHY
After earning a bachelor’s degree in
Geosciences from the University of
Cape Town, Taufeeq spent time at
the International Institute for Applied
Systems Analysis in Austria on his way
to a Master’s, where his focus was
geothermal energy. Another overseas
experience was at the Structural
Geology and Tectonics Research Group
at Jena University in Germany. Nelson
Mandela University awarded Taufeeq a
PhD in Geosciences in 2017.
In recent mapping, what have you found in Mpumalanga?
Mpumalanga is very rich is terms of its geological variety. You
find some of the earth’s oldest rocks that tell you about how
the earth evolved and formed. Many international scientists
visit the province to investigate these rocks, some that are
more than four-billion years old. You also find some of the
youngest rocks, so that variety from the oldest to youngest
means that you have the entire history of the earth’s processes
within the province. Some of these processes include how
various minerals systems formed and evolved.
This implies that it is a very rich province in terms of its natural
resources. This includes, coal, gold, platinum and other types
of critical minerals that are needed to sustain future energy like
renewable resources and batteries.
Now we are looking at integrated research. What happens as
we shift away from coal in the province? Does it mean that the coal
was the only drawcard of the province in terms of its economy? We
are finding that the answer is no.
Is coal the province’s only resource?
There are other mineral resources that can also be looked at. That
is a primary focus at the moment. More than two thirds of the
province’s economy is now reliant on coal so this brings into
context the idea of the just transition.
We are asking what geoscience can tell us about a transition
in terms of sustainability.
Coexistence between mining and agriculture only
happens if you understand the geology. We have to maintain
the integrity of the groundwater in such a way that you can
have mining and agriculture existing perfectly in harmony.
We are finding that this is possible. Secondly, if you can
identify an area where you might find a fossil fuel on the
surface like coal, then you can dig a bit deeper and find
gas. Deeper still and you might find gold. That means that
in terms of the valuation and the investment potential, the
land is looked at differently, both for the GDP and for the
sustainability of life in the province.
MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2022/23
32