Local mineral processing mired in upkeep, development languishing

While South Africa’s crushing, milling and screening sector is in maintenance and operation mode, projects in countries such as Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Madagascar and Mozambique are experiencing capital growth, owing to greenfield developments which are contributing directly to the gross domestic products (GDPs) and sectoral diversity of these countries’ economies, says independent process industry consultant Santosh Gunpath. Gunpath expounds that in these countries, projects necessitate an increase in manufacturing; tax is generated for the host country from operational revenue when the product is sold/exported; and there is increased infrastructure development around the project’s geographical location.