Dr Byelongoe Elisée Isheloke

Project Title: An investigation into the impact of, and the challenges towards, mineral beneficiation policy interventions: a SADC perspective

Research Theme: Mineral Value Chains and Strategic Minerals

Supervisors: Prof Harro von Blottnitz (Prof. Eng)

Background

Elisée is a business economist with interests in mining economics, mineral beneficiation policy interventions and green economy. His research for the last 7 years has focused on studying the influence of quality initiatives on the operations of a metal recycling company and the effects of BRICS partnership on mineral beneficiation. The two studies led to him obtaining a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a PhD. He lectured at the Durban University of Technology before joining the Minerals to Metals Initiatives at the University of Cape Town as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. He currently studies the dimensions of coltan and cobalt resource curse in the DRC and investigates ways to integrate mineral beneficiation practices in the SADC.

Abstract

Mining is a significant economic activity in most South African Development Community (SADC’s) countries, and mineral beneficiation has been identified and controversially discussed as one of the possibilities for industrialisation, with many member countries being economically too small to muster the human and financial resources which beneficiation requires, there may be some room for interventions at a regional level.

The project examines to what extent the SADC does support regional beneficiation policy interventions undertaken by member countries. The study also identifies the challenges in undertaking beneficiation regionally, as a complement to, or substitute of country-specific beneficiation policies. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from SADC member countries during the 2019 Mining Indaba (with participants from South Africa, the DRC, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Tanzania…).

It uses a qualitative methodology, namely, content analysis and semi-structured interviews to understand the phenomenon, garner information thematically, and derive meaning. The interview schedule was examined by experts during a pilot study to ascertain its trustworthiness. The study seeks to enhance collective (SADC’s) understanding of the status and need for regional beneficiation policy interventions as a strategy for economic growth and provides clarity on aspects that need attention for future research.