African Mining September 2021 | Page 31

IN THE STOPE •

During your time at Wits and setting up Digimine , you worked very closely with some of the top mining CEOs in the world . You have been an exceptional leader in your own right . What are the attributes , in your mind , that set good leaders apart from the rest ? Three industry leaders that I worked with closely stand out for me . What they said to me over the years summarised what I consider as good leadership . In 2010 , we took occupation of our new space in the Chamber of Mines building at Wits University . We had all the space we hoped for , but no budget for equipment and furniture .

During a visit to the university in 2010 , I showed Martin Hobbs , then managing director of Aveng Mining , the empty spaces and explained our plans for what we wanted to do with the spaces . His response was : “ Fred , you don ’ t have much to show apart from vision – and I will back that .” So , vision is an important leadership attribute .

The second lesson in leadership came from Nick Holland , CEO of Gold Fields . After a report back session on how we are using the Gold Fields donation , Nick said : “ Fred , I like what you are doing , but let ’ s do more .” This speaks to the need for ‘ better ’, rather than ‘ aiming for perfection ’.

The third lesson from a CEO came from Neal Froneman , CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater . In preparation for my first meeting with him , I studied SibanyeGOLD ’ s annual review report and included a chart from the report to illustrate a point – but I misinterpreted the meaning . He immediately corrected me : “ Professor , this is not actually what we mean by that chart .” He then continued to explain the real intention of the graph to me . This was a most important lesson in leadership for me – to listen carefully , ask questions and request more input when faced with a problem . Also , the best person to ask for input is the one closest to the problem .

How does Digimine and the Wits School of Mining empower students and prepare them to become leaders in their field ? Youth unemployment – and in our context , graduate unemployment – is a significant issue in Africa . The DigiMine approach is , with sponsorship from mainly Sibanye-Stillwater and the Mine Health and Safety Council , to offer graduates with good degrees the opportunity to do technology research that will improve mine health , safety , and efficiency . While doing postgraduate studies , they get a small salary in the form of a university stipend while improving their chances of employment . We have a good track record in this regard , with students being accommodated in the job market on getting their higher degrees , or even before . These jobs are in the new world of work in mining , giving them a competitive advantage over their peers .

What role did Digimine play in terms of research since its inception ? Maybe you can highlight a few of the best research projects . DigiMine does not have the budget to do earth-shattering research . However , with the help of Sibanye-Stillwater , we identified the main health and safety risks and then focused on improving the technology systems and processes for advanced warning of such risks . Projects that stand out for me are these : research on the application of visible light communication systems to establish communication hotspots at critical underground locations ; the application of numerical modelling techniques to visualise air quality and ground movement risks , and to improve support and ventilation design ; remote monitoring of tailings storage facilities ; and the integration of data from different sensor systems into a single platform for decision-making purposes .

How will Digimine prepare students for the 4th Industrial Revolution and mine of the future ? All projects within DigiMine are directed at the Fourth Industrial Revolution ( 4IR ) and the Future of Mining . This requires collaboration between disciplines , which explains why DigiMine students are registered across all university faculties . This gives us the opportunity to apply their fundamental or core knowledge to mine health and safety problems . It is good for mining and good for the student , who then appreciates that the perception of mining as dark , dirty , and dangerous , is wrong .

In your vision , what does the ‘ dream ’ mine look like , 10 years from now ? Firstly , we must understand that mining is not a nice-to-have economic sector . Mining provides the essential raw materials and metals that are not only requested by you and me ( through market demand ) but are also vital for society ’ s survival . The ‘ dream ’ mine must meet the requirements of responsible mining , which are to bring the resources in the ground to people above the ground , for their benefit and without harm to the environment and society . Where there may be harm , appropriate measures must be introduced to mitigate and eliminate such harm .

Please tell us more about your future plans and how you will remain active in the mining industry . In my capacity as Visiting Professor to Wits University ’ s School of Mining Engineering , I am currently in communication with several universities and mining research groups to create a global version of DigiMine . Here , students registered at their home universities will be able to work with students in Africa on global 21 ^st century mining problems . I also want to assist government and industry with developing plans to address capacity shortfalls , especially for the technical and vocational streams .

On a personal level , I want to do more things that fall within the definition of ‘ doing good ’ – with less of a focus on striving to do better .

In your opinion , do you think that South African mining is on the right path – especially in terms of exploration and developing new projects ? The statistics tell us that we are not on the right path , because there is not enough exploration to ensure a consistent stream of new mines being developed . In addition to Covid-19 , South Africa has poor service delivery , high unemployment , and below-par economic growth . Were it not for the mining industry ’ s contribution to the economy in 2020 , we would have been much worse off . So , mining is still important for South Africa .

However , we must not fool ourselves that mining can continue to do this . The truth is that 2020 was a good year for mining because of high commodity prices – and we know that the cycle will change .

Our law and policy framework needs improvement , so that we can attract more investment in new projects and new commodities . For this to happen , we must do what we did during the mid-1990s ; we must get stakeholders together and debate the issues , to improve the investment framework in the broader context of responsible mining . I think it is time to measure the intention of the initial law and policy against its actual outcome , and to update our vision for mining and improve the law for the greater benefit of everyone . •