Comment
Changing for a
better future
I
f I knew this magazine would be
around 200 years from now, and the
General Manager (GM) of Universal
Mining, based on a space station close to
Mars, was going to pick it up to read the
editorial comment, what would I tell him?
What would you say if you only had two
words to describe life in 2019?
It’s a scary thought. He would be standing
(or floating) on a far-flung asteroid that
his company, Universal Mining, was busy
exploring for some unknown mineral
needed to manufacture spaceships. Earth
would be far away, nothing more than
a fading star in the Milky Way; and in
the company’s portfolio. They would
still operate mines on planet earth, but
most would be deep and dangerous, and
extremely costly to operate.
So, Mr GM of the future, if you are
reading my words on this day in the year
2219, let it be known that life in 2019 is
about change and disruption. Nothing
has become as constant and predictable
as radical change, and it is happening
at a ferocious pace. The 21 st century, up
until now, anyway, is malleable and in a
continuous state of flux. Mind-blowing
technologies, innovative solutions and
revolutionary new paradigms are still
evolving, but are slowly altering the way we
go about life on earth.
As humans develop, the planet itself
is undergoing irreversible change (and
damage, some say). But it’s not the planet
that is in danger of extinction, it’s the
human species. The planet will survive.
New life will evolve, and who knows,
maybe this is what evolution is all about?
But to survive as a species, we have to
www.africanmining.co.za
change, and embrace disruption, to
hopefully contribute to your future success.
Dear Mr GM, hopefully the choices
we make today will have assisted you in
developing the means to extract those
important resources human life will
need during your tenure. The mining
industry, like all other economic sectors, is
undergoing immense change. Automation,
mechanisation, artificial intelligence and
robotics are in their baby shoes, but these
are the building blocks you will need to
develop the methods to mine minerals in
space, or in the deep ocean.
Today, planet Earth’s existing mines are
becoming more difficult to mine. But there
are new mines waiting to be developed,
and many of these ore bodies are shallow,
and might be easier to unearth. The only
problem is that most of them are in
isolated locations. Many of these are in
Africa, the last frontier. But what better
way to prepare ourselves to venture into
unknown territory in the future? Operating
in Africa will prepare us for the challenges
that space, or the dark depths of the deep
ocean floor, might present us with 200
years from now.
Seeing as you’ve saved a copy of this
magazine Mr GM, I would like to tell
you that change has also come to African
Mining. We decided to incorporate the best
elements of its esteemed sister magazine
Mining Mirror, without changing the
current focus of African Mining too much.
Our readers will now receive a copy of
African Mining every month, and not bi-
monthly as before. We plan to visit more
mines, and more countries in Africa, and
report from the face, as we have been doing
for more than 50 years.
Get in touch
Leon Louw - Editor
@LeonLouw3
[email protected]
The new look, bulkier magazine will have
more meat, and we plan to get our boots
(and cameras) dirty in our quest to inform
our readers, and to provide them with
relevant content and business intelligence
that affects their mining operations in
Africa. Despite what people say, we plan
to be around in 2219, and shake up and
disrupt for the next 200 years, for the sake
of a better future for us all.
I’m sure this issue, with a big focus on
Ghana, one of those great countries in the
new frontier, will still be worth a read, even
if you struggle to see through your space
helmet.
All the best for the future,
Reporting from earth July 2019,
Leon
Editor
JULY - AUGUST 2019 AFRICAN MINING
1