OPERATIONS • competitiveness. Retrofitting is often preferred for incremental improvements, while new builds are pursued when step-change efficiency or environmental performance is required,” he adds.
In an industry often associated with job losses due to automation, PMC presents a different narrative. The department has maintained employment levels, using technology to augment rather than replace its workforce. Automation has reduced repetitive tasks, allowing employees to shift into more technical, higher-value roles. This transition is supported by continuous upskilling programmes in areas such as data analysis, automation and process control. Mushikita believes that continuous training ensures that the workforce remains adaptable as operations become more technologically advanced.
Digital literacy, environmental compliance and advanced metallurgy are now essential, alongside cross-disciplinary expertise that combines engineering with data science and sustainability. This shift reflects a broader trend across the continent, where the future workforce will need to operate at the intersection of technology and traditional mining disciplines. Over the next decade, smelting and refining operations across Africa are expected to move toward greater automation, renewable energy integration, and advanced furnace technologies. And those operations will progressively align with the global ESG standards, positioning African producers as responsible suppliers.
For the company, the direction is already set:“ Innovation and sustainability are central to long-term viability. Cleaner energy, digital transformation and advanced process technologies will ensure competitiveness while meeting climate and regulatory goals,” says Mushikita.
What is happening at the company is more than a retrofit. It is a repositioning of smelting operations for the future. In a sector facing mounting pressure from energy constraints, environmental regulation and global competition, the ability to integrate technology, efficiency and workforce development may define which operations succeed in the next decade. •
Reference:
1. https:// www. palabora. com / Our-people / Leadership / Executive- Management / Brave-Kachusha-Mushikita
Mushikita believes that continuous training ensures that the workforce remains adaptable as operations become more technologically advanced.
African Mining, incorporating Mining Mirror, thanks the PMC team – Brave Mushikita, Abby Ledwaba and Zani Kutumela – for their contribution to the article as we continue to explore PMC and their passion for mining and community.
About: Brave Mushikita is a qualified Chemical Engineer with more than twenty-seven( 27) years of experience in practical operating, technical, project management and leadership positions in various aspects of mining. His experience includes copper and cobalt extraction( leaching), copper smelting and acid manufacturing in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia, as well as in India.
Brave Kachusha Mushikita, CEO Smelter and Refinery – Palabora Mining Company.
He joined PMC in 2009. He was promoted to the position of manager for Smelter Operations in 2011, until 2017, when he was promoted to senior manager and currently CEO for Smelter Operations.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Chemical Engineering in Minerals Engineering from the University of Birmingham in the UK and various certificates in general and financial management. Last year, 2025, he completed his MBA with GIBS Business School.
www. africanmining. co. za African Mining Publication African Mining African Mining • June 2026 • 23