Innovation was required to ensure a sustainable future for the South African mining industry, Salesforce.com senior VP for global government relations and strategic planning Peter Schwartz said last week.

Speaking at the second yearly Mining Lekgotla, in Sandton, Schwartz stated that South Africa and its mining industry were facing the challenge of change.

“We live in a world of profound economic and technological change, which is driven by economic conditions and innovation,” he said.

Schwartz asked how South Africa could remain an active and relevant participant in the dynamic, global mining industry, while outlining three potential scenarios for the future of the domestic industry.

The first was a ‘paralysed’ mining industry, which would be a result of low economic growth and low innovation and the second was a “propped-up” scenario, which would be a result of favourable economic conditions, without any innovation having taken place.

However, for the industry to be sustainable, which is his third scenario, innovation would be a key requirement. “Innovation would allow the industry to deliver irrespective of the economic environment, and through this scenario, South Africa could become the world leader in mining technology,” the strategic planner stated, adding that this sustainable vision for the mining industry would also be a sustainable vision for South Africa.

Schwartz added that there were also additional factors, besides the economy and the level of innovation, that had to be taken into account when planning the future of the industry.

Human aspects had to be considered, such as the employees and communities affected by mining activity, he said. “Everyone wants a better life and if we fail to acknowledge the human aspect, we will have a fundamental problem.”

The mining industry also faced challenges on an ecological level, which included global warming and, in South Africa, in particular, the availability of water.

A solution had to satisfy economic, ecologi- cal and human needs to lead to a sustainable industry, Schwartz stated.

He also stressed the importance of creating other opportunities for the labour that would be displaced through innovation and the move towards mechanised mining. “If this is not done, the innovation would only lead to strife and conflict.”