ABSTRACT
South Africa is the country rich in the culture of its people, the variety and beauty of its countryside and the extent of its natural resources. The South African gold mining industry, especially, has been characterised by a continuing need for technological innovation to solve the increasingly complex problems met with as mining goes to greater depths. The deepest operations now reach well below 3,5 km and planning is in progress for mining at 5 km. At these depths virgin rock temperatures exceed 70 degrees C, while the unpredictable behaviour of the rock is still the major cause of injuries and fatalities. The future of hardrock mines lies in altering the economic effectiveness of the overall mining operation. The importance of the technical support groups will depend on their ability to help make the right changes. To be successful in introducing changes in economic — related issues such as overall mine design will require significant effort directed at non-technical issues, such as human resources management, incentive and reward systems, and the cost accounting of the whole mining process.
