The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) is proud to host IMPC 2020. The SAIMM has been in existence for 125 years, having been established in 1894 as a ’learned society’ to support mining and metallurgical professionals during the emergence and growth of the early South African gold and minerals industry. Originally called the Chemical and Metallurgical Society of South Africa, the organization underwent a name change in 1903, with the inclusion of the mining discipline to become the Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa. In 1956 there was an evolution from Society to Institute as the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and in 2006 it became the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy with inclusion of members from the southern African sub-region. The SAIMM membership has grown in numbers and quality over the years. Today the SAIMM have over 4500 members. The key objectives of the Institute are to:
- Identify, represent and promote the common interests and needs of its members
- Disseminate scientific and technical knowledge to the benefit of the mining and metallurgical industries
- Represent the interests of professionals in the mining and metallurgical industries.
The Institute thus brings together the mining and metallurgical fraternity in terms of research, technology development and application, education and professional development. The SAIMM publishes a prestigious open-access SAIMM monthly Journal, which serves as a platform for disseminating scientific and technical knowledge to the SAIMM membership, and the public at large, in the form of peer-reviewed technical papers. Since its inception in 1894 the SAIMM has published 4 317 papers, 2 903 of which are currently available via the Institute’s website. The SAIMM organizes workshops, schools, colloquia, symposia, and conferences as platforms from which to inform our membership of current and cutting-edge developments in the mining and metallurgical technical disciplines. Typically, around 12 conferences are organized per year. The Institute actively supports the establishment and maintenance of branches and student chapters of the SAIMM so as to meet the regional needs of members for professional association and the exchange of technical information. Branches currently exist in Johannesburg, Pretoria, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the DRC, and Namibia. The Institute maintains good relationships with both local and international professional bodies and is a member of OneMine.