Up to ten midtier mineral deposits can still be discovered in South Africa – resources consultant

There is no reason why South Africa cannot build an exploration and junior mining sector, says resources consultant Dr John Bristow, who notes that while the country has vestiges of this sector, it is hampered by regulatory policy, and a preoccupation with a “Sunset” mining industry. Speaking at the the Geological Society of South Africa’s Exploration Showcase, held in Johannesburg, in November, he went so far as to suggest that, as the country’s old orebodies are becoming depleted within the vacuum of a lack of new visible potential, this has led to a zero-sum game which is detrimental to all stakeholders and, subsequently, a surfeit of reasons for the replacement of mined-out orebodies.