Overview
South Africa is one of the world’s richest mineral nations, with over 50 distinct mineral types extracted across multiple provinces. These include precious metals, base metals, bulk commodities, and energy minerals — all contributing to national economic development.
The following mineral groups represent the broad categories underpinning the “50+ minerals” found in RSA:
- Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) – platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, osmium
- Base Metals – nickel, copper, cobalt
- Ferrous Minerals – iron ore, manganese, chromite
- Precious Metals – gold, silver
- Energy Minerals – coal (thermal & metallurgical)
- Industrial Minerals – limestone, silica, dolomite, clay