South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile | Polity
The Mining Indaba runs from 8–12 February 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, bringing together government officials, industry leaders and investors from across Africa and beyond to discuss mineral development opportunities.
Mashatile is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the SAYEC Mining Indaba Business Dialogue on 11 February, with his speech expected to focus on energy security, critical minerals beneficiation and inclusive economic growth linked to mineral value chains.
South Africa has been positioning its rich reserves of critical minerals—such as platinum group metals and emerging deposits of lithium and others—as strategic assets in the global clean energy transition and electric vehicle (EV) battery race.
The official Indaba agenda highlights sessions on critical minerals and battery metals including lithium, reflecting global demand for resources needed in EV batteries and renewable energy technologies.
Government and industry talks at the event aim to attract investment into value addition and beneficiation—processing minerals domestically instead of exporting raw ore—to capture more industrial benefits locally.
Organisers say the focus on critical minerals speaks to broader efforts to integrate Africa’s mineral wealth into future-facing industries and to help countries move beyond raw export models into higher-value supply chains.
