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The gold mining industry in South Africa is seen to decline unless labor and production management practices are improved. The overall state of health of the workforce is seen as lower than a decade ago. Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd. has closed a number of its deep level shafts.

The indigenization and nationalization of Zimbabwe's mining industry has been discussed at the 2010 Mining Indaba held in South Africa. The Zimbabwe government has required all companies to offer 51 percent of their shares to indigenous Zimbabweans. Comments from executives are also given.

South Africa's mining sector is expected to perform better through the economic downturn. The gold sector is observed to be receiving after a dismal showing in 2008, while the domestic coal market has expanded. Major infrastructure programs that include power stations is expected to help the mining industry survive the downturn.

The challenges and potentials of the mining industry in West Africa are discussed. Mining logistics face challenges such as the climate, dust and heat. Infrastructure development is seen as the main reason for the growth of the mining industry.

The market share of South Africa in the global ferrochrome market, and the involvement of the joint-venture, Xtrata-Merafe in the production of this metal, is discussed.

The details pertaining to the trends taking place in the copper industry in Zambia, are presented. The production data of different companies across the nation, which has increased over a period of time and the increase in direct investments in the sector, are discussed.

Uranium mining firms in South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, and Niger have been expecting growth considering the worldwide demand for the said mineral. Big investments and loans have been provided to jumpstart mining operations in these countries, which are considered to be among the world's top uranium producers.

How Petra Diamonds manage to emerge as one the world's largest groups outside the established major producer in terms of diamond resources, is presented. Petra Diamonds' CEO John Dippenaar believes the company is on track to produce 1 million carats by next year after a dismal production of just over 200,000 carats in fiscal year 2008. Insights on the company's acquisitions are also given.

Gold Fields' South Deep mine in South Africa is seen to supply the industry for at least another generation. The company is planning to make South Deep a high-margin high-volume mine. Mine production data are also supplied.

The details of South Africa's mining convention circuit, termed as the Mining Indaba 2006, held in Cape Town, are presented. The focus of the convention was on recent investments in the mining sector and its bulk commodities projects.

Many countries in Africa have adopted investor-friendly mining laws that have resulted in mining explorations projects in countries beyond the traditional mining centers such as South Africa and Zambia. Mining consulting company Behre Dolbear includes countries such as Ghana as suitable for mining investments. Zambia's mining policies are also examined.

One of the oldest mining project houses in South Africa is TWP. The different projects handled by the company TWP, are discussed.

World renowned diamond excavation company De Beers Group is planning to shift its focus from Canada to African countries by allocating more funds to the African countries in 2006. Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Botswana are in the top position of the De Beers priority list. The company also introduced new air ship to find new diamondiferous kimberlites in the Kalahari desert.

Mining industry major Boart Longyear changed its base from Johannesburg to Salt Lake City of United States as Anglo America which is parent company of Boart Longyear sold it to Advent asset management group. The company is also planning for corporate restructure and plans to increase its mining market share in China, Russia and Canada.

Dowding Reynard and Associates (DRA) that deals with project engineering for mining development experience good time in 2005 compared with the previous industry's down turning year. DRA reported the good number of platinum project especially from the African countries.

The article reports that the Lumwana copper project, owned by Equinox Minerals Ltd., has started its mining operations in Zambia in July 2008. The project is considered as one of the largest mining projects in the country which anticipates to produce 169,000 million tons per year (mt/y) of copper until 2014. It reveals that Lumwara has also signed agreements with smelters Glencore International AG and China Non-Ferrous Metal Mining (CNMC)/Yunan Copper to supply copper to both companies under a five-year contract. Equinox has engaged into partnership with construction equipment companies Hitachi Ltd., Caterpillar Inc., and Sandvik AB for the utilization of their equipment in the mining process. It also anticipates to address the challenges posed by the country's mining tax law.

This article examines the status of the gold mining industry in South Africa. According to Bernard Swanepoel, chief executive officer of Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd., South Africa is no longer the gold mining industry and the gold mining industry is no longer the South African economy. Two factors contributed to this sentiment. One is the fact that the South African gold production in 2004 decreased to 342 metric tons, the lowest since 1931. Another thing is that, since the keeping of official records by the South African Chamber of Mines, dating back to 1885, gold has been the region's largest export by value. And it has just been overtaken by the platinum group of metals.