Limpopo is well endowed with a wide variety of minerals, some of the more important of which are mentioned below. The Minerals Bureau has records of just over 70 operating mines in the province, 50 of which are small to medium scale mines. The larger mining operations in the province include the Venetia diamond mine (De Beers), Tshikondeni collieries, the Amandelbult, Northam, Potgietersrust, Lonmin’s Limpopo Platinum mine , Marula and Modikwa platinum mines and the copper and phosphate operations at Phalaborwa (Foskor). Between them, these deposits accounted for some 80% of the provinces mineral revenue.

MINING’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE GDP OF SOUTH AFRICA AND THE PROVINCE

Nationally

The relative size of Mining Sector in comparison with other sectors is 7, 7 percent for 2007 and its contribution to the GDP at current prices is R135, 5 billion at current prices for the year 2007. This can be expanded further to account for individual metal areas, which are:
• Coal R21.26 billion or 1.3%
• Gold R25.9 billion or 1.7%
• Platinum Group Metals R32.6 billion or 2.1%
• Other metal ores R26.1 billion or 1.7% and
• Other mining and quarrying R31.3billion or 0.8%
(Source: STATSSA)

Provincially

On a provincial level, mining and quarrying contributed R33, 7 billion or 24, 4% of the Provincial GDP for the year 2007. (Source: STATSSA). Total Sales of Primary minerals from the province amounted to R38, 4 billion, which is 17, 2% of the National Total.

EMLOYMENT TRENDS IN THE SECTOR

The mining sector formally employed 495 474 number of people nationally while Limpopo is the fourth highest employer at 68 081 employees in the mining sector for 2007. National Remuneration percentages according to commodities for 2007 is: 36,5% for Platinum Group Metals, 39,2 for Gold, 17,2 for Diamond and other commodities 12,3%.
(Source: DME 2007)

LIMPOPO’s MINERALS

The province boasts the widest diversity of minerals in the country. The spectrum of more than 70 minerals includes precious metals and stones, industrial minerals and coal, which has both energy and chemical properties.

The prominent districts or regions where minerals occur within the Limpopo Province are Sekhukhune and Waterberg. These districts contain the world-renowned Merensky and UG2 platinum reefs, which also include chrome and other associated minerals. Diamonds are extracted in the Vhembe district and copper in the Mopani district. Some of the minerals found in the province include:

• Platinum
• Coal
• Diamonds
• Silicon
• Granite
• Copper
• Vemuculite
• Dolomite
• Iron Ore