South African mining equipment and related services: Growth, constraints and policy

MMCP Discussion Paper No. 5

South Africa has the largest, most diversified and longest established mining sector in Africa. South Africa has developed considerable expertise in mining and mining related supply industries and it has a number of firms located at the global technological frontier. This report provides measures of South Africa’s success in export markets and of the technological capacities that underpin that success. Although South Africa currently has a significant cluster of firms in mining equipment and related services which are at the global technological frontier, its competitive position is being undermined both as a site for production and for research and development. The report analyses the factors undermining South Africa’s competitive position, as well as examining the policy failures in meeting these challenges.