South African gold miners shift focus to shallow projects
Local producers are prioritizing low-cost shallow mines and waste recovery to offset high expenses. Output is expected to remain near 90 metric tons next year.
Xurve View
Insights:
Xurve View
Record gold prices are driving the mining industry in South Africa to seek alternative extraction methods that avoid the prohibitive costs of traditional deep-shaft mining. While global prices surged roughly 60% in 2025 to reach historic highs—buoyed by central bank acquisitions and rate cut expectations in the United States—local production has not seen a corresponding boom. Output remains at approximately 90 metric tons per year, a sharp decline from the 1,000-ton peak recorded in 1970.
