L-R Unveiling the Plaque: Prof Tawana Kupe, Acting Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand; Neal Froneman, Executive Director and CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater; Prof Fred Cawood – Director of the Wits Mining Institute and Coordinator of the Wits DigiMine Project and Prof Ian Jandrell, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of the Witwatersrand
Johannesburg – 03 April 2018: The future of mining is looking brighter following the launch at Wits University of the Sibanye-Stillwater Digital Mining Laboratory (DigiMine) by the Wits Mining Institute, promising safer and more productive mines through the practical application of digital technologies. Made possible by generous donations from South Africa-based gold giant Sibanye-Stillwater, DigiMine is a ‘one-of-a-kind’ multi-disciplinary initiative drawing on the best minds within Wits and a wide industry network, according to WMI director Professor Fred Cawood.
Speaking at the event, Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman said the DigiMine was vital not just to make SA mining more competitive, but to attract bright and tech-savvy youngsters to the mining sector. Professor Tawana Kupe, Acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Wits University, hailed the DigiMine as an important example of how Wits collaborates with the private sector to drive development and transformation.
Seen at the event were:
L-R Prof Fred Cawood – Director of the Wits Mining Institute and Coordinator of the Wits DigiMine Project; Prof Ian Jandrell, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of the Witwatersrand and Neal Froneman, Executive Director and CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater
L-R Prof Fred Cawood -Director of the Wits Mining Institute and Coordinator of the Wits DigiMine Project and Wayne Robinson, Head of Operations for Mining, Sibanye-Stillwater
L-R Neal Froneman, Executive Director and CEO, Sibanye-Stillwater and Themba Nkosi, Head of HR, Sibanye-Stillwater
L-R Alex Gardiner, General Manager SA, Minetec and Manuel Pereira, Sales Executive, Industry and International, Schauenburg (an associate partner for the DigiMine project)
Ends.
About the Wits Mining Institute (WMI)
The WMI conducts and facilitates multidisciplinary research, encouraging partnerships to ensure a sustainable business model. Its flagship programme is the digital mining laboratory (DigiMine), where its focus is to conduct tests, research and development for transferring surface digital technologies into the underground mining environment. It also identifies and develops skills required to operate 21st century, technologically-intensive mines, which feed into a programme for developing modern skill-sets at artisan, technician and professional levels for the mining sector. Visit https://www.wits.ac.za/wmi/
About Sibanye-Stillwater
Sibanye-Stillwater is an independent, global precious metal mining group, producing a unique mix of metals that includes gold and the platinum group metals (PGMs). Domiciled in South Africa, Sibanye-Stillwater owns and operates a portfolio of high-quality operations and projects, which are grouped by region: the Southern Africa region and the United States region. Globally, Sibanye-Stillwater is the third largest producer of palladium and platinum and features among the world’s largest gold producing companies. Visit https://www.sibanyestillwater.com/
