Mining opportunities in
South Africa

Investment opportunities in the mining industry of South Africa:

Africa Mining IQ tracks over 500 South African mining projects, offering the latest, in-depth intelligence and insights on local mining business activities.

From drilling companies, surveying, engineers, testing labs, beneficiation plants, capital equipment, catering and mining services (soft services), logistics, process automation and engineering companies, we offer all the up-to-date, accurate project intel to identify new business opportunities.

Get all the mining intel you need to find new business, across mine lifecycles

Grassroots

30+ projects

Services needed:

“Desktop / Concept” Studies
(prior to any groundwork)
“Grassroots Exploration”
- perimeter drilling
- reconnaissance
- evaluative forays (preliminary geological / engineering survey)

Pre-feasability

40+ projects

Services needed:

Aeromagnetic / geophysical surveys
Mapping
Geochemical & soil sampling
Core sample drilling
eModelling
Infill drilling

Feasabilty

30+ projects

Services needed:

Mine equipment
Process method planning
Funding
Environmental Impact Studies (EIS)
Engineers/consultants
OEMs, suppliers of goods and service providers

Bankable

10+ projects

Services needed:

Balance of funding
Architectural planning
Design & consulting
Engineering, Procurement
Construction Management (EPCM)
Engineering, Procurement Construction (EPC)
OEMs, suppliers of goods and service providers

executable

30+ projects

Services needed:

Civil works
Construction
Infrastructure
Shaft-sinking
Process plant construction
Accommodation, roads, etc.

Operational

200+ projects

Services needed:

Expansion
Refurbishment
Aftermarket
- Maintenance
- Repairs or replacements services
- Goods / products

Dormant

20+ projects

Services needed:

Mining projects move into this phase when owners do not find it feasible or practical to continue with development. This can take place if funding runs out or market changes take place.

Many projects in this phase could still be reconsidered in the future and explored by other owners. These can be ideal investments with the right market changes and new funding.

Closed Mines

5+ projects

Services needed:

Mines move to this phase when all the ore has been extracted from that mine, also referred to as reaching the end of the Life of Mine (LOM).

Environmental Impact Studies (EIS)
Rehabilitation (in prescribed methods & standards)

Dormant L/R

730+ projects

Services needed:

Refers to Licences handed back to the Government by Mine Owners and Exploration Companies, due to various scenarios, such as: they were no longer viable, insufficient funding to continue with exploration etc. These Mining Projects could be further explored at a later stage by other Mine Owners and Exploration Companies obtaining the required Licences from the various Governments responsible.

Complete

30+ projects

Services needed:

Expansions and / or refurbishments to any existing mines follow the same phases.

Starting at the Pre-Feasibility Phase onwards and once the Expansion and/or Refurbishment phase is completed, the phase changes from “executable” to “Completed”.

Mining opportunities in SA, by mineral

Current mining projects in South Africa.

South Africa has long been an international mining investment destination, and still holds vast quantities of minerals, such as gold, platinum, coal, iron ore and copper. This makes South Africa a strong candidate for investment opportunities in the mining sector.

With highly developed road, rail and sea freight infrastructure linking the country’s lucrative mines to international markets; an established supplier value chain; and some of the world’s largest mining houses, South Africa is a proven top-tier investment destination for mining.

Gold mining

South Africa boasts some of the world’s largest and richest gold mines, with a strong history of gold mining. Reefs such as the Witwatersrand and the Barberton Greenstone Belt continue to offer significant business, while historically mined tailings are also proving to be profitable business.

Platinum Group Metals (PGM) mining

Holding more than 90% of global PGM reserves, South Africa accounts for 75% of global PGM supply. South Africa also hosts the largest number of PGM mining operations. This makes South Africa the ideal mining opportunity investment when it comes to PGMs, as the country has a strong share in the global market.

Coal mining

South Africa produces around 58.9 Mt of coal per annum, and exports approximately 30% of this. The combined value of local and exports sales averages at around R139. 4 billion a year. The coal industry employs over 92,000, representing about 19% of total employment in country’s the mining sector.

Two of the biggest coal mining projects in the country are surface mining operations at the Mafube Colliery and the New Largo Project.

Diamond mining

South Africa is, again, a world leader in diamond production, with its largest diamond producer recovering around 8 Mct/year.

Diamonds mining in Southern Africa currently takes place through opencast methods, yet depth limits of open pit are being reached. Underground mining is being developed to continue production below the open pit, delivering new opportunities for diamond recoveries.

Manganese mining

Being the world’s leading producer of manganese, at over 6 Mtpa, SA has about 78% of the world’s identified manganese resources.

Most of the manganese mined in South Africa is exported, as it has no substitutes that are suitable to be used on a global scale. As South Africa has a fundamental role to play in the future supply of manganese, investors interested in this sector can find an array of new business opportunities.

SA manganese projects, by project phase.

Chromite mining

South Africa is the world’s leading producer of chromite ore, with production at around 17 million metric tons per year.

Chromite ore is necessary to make chromium for stainless steel and due to this, the country holds advanced investment opportunities in this valuable mineral’s mining sector.

Copper

Alternative and renewable energy markets (such as battery energy storage, renewable energy harvesting, electric vehicles, cell phones and towers, computers, smart homes, pipelines and super tankers) are driving increasing demand for copper. South Africa produced over 100 000 tons of copper in 2019, and the country holds promising investment returns.

Nickel

Growing stainless steel production and the lithium battery market is expected to drive significant medium-term returns on nickel investments. The electric vehicle market demand alone is expected to increase 1 000% over the next 10 years, creating huge demand for this strategically valuable metal.

Find all your mining opportunities in South Africa

Providing accurate, reliable and up-to-date online intelligence on mining projects across South Africa, Africa Mining IQ offers vast business opportunities to those servicing the mining industry.

Africa Mining IQ is an online mining information service that supports suppliers in expanding and increasing their sales reach in South Africa.

Tap into South African mining opportunities:

Get real-time project intelligence
Advance on key insights for strategic growth
Access in-depth statistical analyses
Contact project’s key personnel
Identify and track ideal projects

Gain access to:

2 032
projects

806
mine owners

527
project engineers

3 649
suppliers

Take advantage of the latest mining opportunities in South Africa, with Africa’s largest mining intelligence portal!

What Africa Mining IQ does for you:

Robust, customisable dashboards

Use the dashboard filters to focus on relevant products, in just a few clicks.

Get key contact information

All the contact details of mine owners and engineers for each project.

Relevant commentaries and events logs

Complete, up-to-date and detailed commentary on over 2 000 projects.

Detailed market analysis, research and reporting

Understand growth in key markets with all the intel you need in one place.

Collaborate & communicate with fellow users

Make notes, set reminders and generate individual sales reports for your company’s sales pipeline.

Email alerts on new projects

Be the first to know of developments and updates to the projects you are tracking.

Why invest in South Africa?

South Africa holds some of the world's largest reserves of precious metals, refractory metals, base metals and energy minerals. With this diverse mineral reserve portfolio, the mining sector holds a long-term growth outlook.

Highly valued mineral reserves
The country’s mineral reserve portfolio is one of the most valuable in the world.
World-leading mining companies
The country’s mining companies, such as AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields and Sibanye-Stillwater are considered global leaders in turnkey mine design and operations, mine safety, ventilation, tracked mining, geological services and shaft sinking.
Vast, diverse mineral reserves
SA is endowed with a vast and diverse mineral reserve basket across the country.
History of mining
SA has over 100 years of mining skills and supportive physical and financial infrastructure in minerals resources exploitation.