DIGITAL DEFICIT: Leader to laggard — SA mining is falling behind in the global technology race
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DIGITAL DEFICIT Leader to laggard — SA mining is falling behind in the global technology race As digitisation, automation and AI become ubiquitous in the global mining sector, South Africa is falling behind, especially when it comes to domestic research and development. Once a leader in mining technology and innovation, South Africa is now a laggard in this commercial arms race, undermining the domestic industry’s ability to tap a rich geological endowment for the wider benefit of the economy and country. This is one of the key findings of a trifecta of reports released on Thursday, 23 July, by the Minerals Council South Africa (MCSA) at a mine modernisation conference.
- ▪DIGITAL DEFICIT Leader to laggard — SA mining is falling behind in the global technology race As digitisation, automation and AI become ubiquitous in the global mining sector, South Africa is falling behind, especially when it comes to dome
- ▪Once a leader in mining technology and innovation, South Africa is now a laggard in this commercial arms race, undermining the domestic industry’s ability to tap a rich geological endowment for the wider benefit of the economy and country.
- ▪This is one of the key findings of a trifecta of reports released on Thursday, 23 July, by the Minerals Council South Africa (MCSA) at a mine modernisation conference.
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DIGITAL DEFICIT Leader to laggard — SA mining is falling behind in the global technology race As digitisation, automation and AI become ubiquitous in the global mining sector, South Africa is falling behind, especially when it comes to domestic research and development. By Ed Stoddard 27 Jul 2026 Mine workers underground at the Sibanye-Stillwater gold mine in Carletonville. (Photo: Elizabeth Sejake / City Press / Gallo Images) Dive Deeper Speed Read Summary Listen Dive Deeper South Africa has the world’s deepest mines, which is testimony to how its engineers historically made a plan in the depths of the Witwatersrand.
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