WITS REVIEW
MINING CLASS CELEBRATE A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY The mining engineering class of 1965 got together for a lunch at the River Club in Johannesburg to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
CELEBRATING 120 YEARS OF MINING ENGINEERING The School of Mining Engineering celebrated 120 years of mining education and research at a colloquium held in the Wits Great Hall on 23 March 2017. The School’s celebration programme highlighted its origins as the South African School of Mines, established in Kimberley in 1896, and reflected on the parallel histories of Wits, the mining industry and South Africa. Nick Holland (BCom 1980, BAcc 1983), CEO of Gold Fields, gave the keynote address on the contribution gold mining has made to the economy and the challenges that arise from a gold price that has declined by about 30% since 2011. Engineering Dean Ian Jandrell (BSc Eng 1985, PhD 1990) and Head of School Professor Cuthbert Musingwini (MSc Eng 1999, PhD 2010) also spoke of the research and training that Wits is doing to produce graduates for the new demands of mining. Witwatersrand University Mining Engineers Association (WUMEA) committee member Hawk Rakale (BSc Eng 1998) outlined the support that alumni give to students and reminded alumni of the annual fundraising dinner to be held on 27 July at the Wits Club.
Wits Mining – Class of ’65 L-R: Simon Malone, John Bircher, John Cruise ’66, Hannes Koekemoer, Hans Smith, Jurie Geldenhuys, John Carr and Philippe Anderson 8
Class member Simon Malone observed that, “Mining has unquestionably been the main contributor to the South African economy from the diamond mining days of 1885 through the development of the Witwatersrand mines, on to the East Rand, the West Rand mines, the Klerksdorp and the then Free State mines, followed by the development of the coal industry and the platinum sector from the 1960s onwards. “Throughout these 120-plus years Wits produced a steady stream of talented mining engineers who took the industry from fledgling level to the status of one of the major mining economies in the world in the late 1960s to early 1970s. “The 1965 class started with 50 in the first year and was whittled down to 12 graduates, of whom four have sadly passed away,” noted Malone. Class of ’65 graduates include Hans Smith, who became the managing director of Iscor, Jurie Geldenhuys, executive director of mining at Anglo Vaal, John Bircher, Anglo Coal planning manager, and Theo van der Westhuizen, general manager of Foskor. Philippe Anderson and John Hatfield started and ran the only fine milling company in South Africa. Hannes Koekemoer is the owner of the largest manufacturer of cycling clothing in South Africa and Simon Malone founded and ran Metorex, one of the few successful junior mining companies in South Africa. They remain close friends after all these years!
