Opportunity Issue 108
Opportunity magazine is a niche business-to-business publication that explores various investment opportunities within Southern Africa’s economic sectors. The publication is endorsed by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI).
Opportunity magazine is a niche business-to-business publication that explores various investment opportunities within Southern Africa’s economic sectors. The publication is endorsed by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI).
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MINING TECHNOLOGY<br />
Technology can transform<br />
South Africa’s mining sector<br />
Sustainable mining needs sustainable practices, writes Rudie Opperman, Manager for<br />
Engineering and Training, Middle East and Africa at Axis Communications.<br />
The recent conversation around<br />
sustainable mining has been<br />
centred on two things: the impact<br />
of mining activity on surrounding<br />
communities and the environment and the<br />
sourcing of resources essential for cleanenergy<br />
networks and systems.<br />
However, the transition to cleaner<br />
mining also requires the introduction of<br />
sustainable principles and practices to<br />
mines that exist today.<br />
South Africa will continue to mine coal<br />
and gold for the foreseeable future and these<br />
operations need to be both sustainable<br />
and continue to operate. But with pressure<br />
to increase productivity and adopt more<br />
environmentally and socially responsible<br />
practices, the mining industry needs a more<br />
sustainable, technology-enabled approach.<br />
Towards a sustainable future<br />
South Africa’s economy has been built on rich<br />
mineral reserves and has relied on mining to<br />
drive development. But the global mining<br />
industry is at a crucial inflection point: many<br />
mining companies are making strides in the<br />
transition towards renewable energy. At<br />
the same time, the Covid-19 pandemic has<br />
renewed focus on the importance of good<br />
social and environmental practices. In South<br />
Africa, the transition to renewable energy has<br />
resulted in a balancing act between reducing<br />
the country’s carbon emissions and mitigating<br />
mass coal job losses. Considering that Africa’s<br />
economy continues to rely primarily on coal<br />
for electricity generation, the shift to cleaner<br />
energy will have to be gradual. During this<br />
transition, mining organisations must find<br />
ways to introduce sustainable practices<br />
while considering their impact on the<br />
communities in which they operate.<br />
Top: Cameras can monitor a variety of hazards and create proactive warnings. Credit: Jürgen Jester on Unsplash<br />
Above: Safety can be enhanced by using technology. Credit: Freepik<br />
Transition to greener energy<br />
Many mining companies in South Africa and<br />
across the globe are joining the collective<br />
effort to build a sustainable future for<br />
communities and the environment. In 2015, all<br />
members of the United Nations adopted the<br />
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to<br />
chart a way forward for social, economic and<br />
environmental change.<br />
Some of South Africa’s biggest mining<br />
companies have set ambitious targets to<br />
achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.<br />
Investors and stakeholders in the mining<br />
sector increasingly demand that mining<br />
companies disclose their climate-related<br />
financial risks and opportunities according<br />
32 | www.opportunityonline.co.za
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