Mining and minerals in South Africa
Although well over a century old, South Africa's mining industry is far from fully tapped. The country is internationally renowned for an abundance of mineral resources, accounting for a significant proportion of both world production and reserves.
South Africa is the world's biggest producer of gold and platinum and one of the leading producers of base metals and coal.
The country's diamond industry is the fourth-largest in the world, with only Botswana, Canada and Russia producing more diamonds each year
While holding the world's largest reserves of gold, platinum-group metals and manganese ore, the country has considerable potential for the discovery of other world-class deposits in areas yet to be exhaustively explored.
Only two strategic minerals - crude oil and bauxite - are not available in the country. For the rest, the sector spans the full spectrum of the five major mineral categories, namely precious metals and minerals, energy minerals, non-ferrous metals and minerals, ferrous minerals and industrial minerals.
Apart from its prolific mineral reserves, South Africa's strengths include a high level of technical and production expertise, and comprehensive research and development activities.
The country has world-scale primary processing facilities covering carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium industries, in addition to gold and platinum.
Beneficiation of minerals before export is a major potential growth area in South Africa, with lucrative opportunities for downstream processing and adding value locally to iron, carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminium, platinum group metals and gold.
A wide range of materials is available for jewellery, including gold, platinum, diamonds, tiger's eye, and a wide variety of other semi-precious stones.
SouthAfrica.info reporter, incorporating material from the Department of Trade and Industry
