Find Mining expertise in South Africa

South Africa’s capital, Johannesburg, is often referred to as the City of Gold because for years the city’s prolific gold mines made South Africa the largest producer of gold in the world. In recent years, however, China has moved into the top position (2007). Gold has become less prevalent in South Africa’s economy because of continued diversification into other sectors. In 2007, mining and quarrying contributed less than 6% of the country’s GDP. South Arica is, however, still a major mining force and aside from gold, provides the world with manganese, chrome, vanadium, zirconium and titanium. A quarter of the world’s platinum is also supplied by South Africa, and it is the fourth largest producer of diamonds. Some of the world’s major mining giants are based in or originate from South Africa. These include Anglo American Plc and its subsidiaries, BHP Billiton and De Beers.

South Africa quarries sand, stones, such as granite and marble, and clay. The Rustenburg Layered suite has provided granite dimension stone products since the 1950s and is considered the Earth’s largest layered intrusion of its kind. Currently, the project operates two major sites in this region, situated closely together and elevated, providing sweeping vistas over the surrounding terrain. Rustenburg Imperial is the finished granite product which has a distinct grey-black colour, purported to be unique to South Africa. It is exported internationally largely to countries within Europe and Asia, but is also distributed to the local market on a smaller scale.