Stellenbosch PhD student, Steve Chingwaru discovers potential 460 tonnes of gold in Witwatersrand mine dumps

It is known that there is invisible gold, which consists of minuscule particles locked inside other minerals in the mine dumps found all over the Johannesburg and Witwatersrand area. What makes Chingwaru’s research noteworthy is that, as a Master’s degree student whose research was upgraded to a PhD, he is the first scholar to calculate that the six billion tons of tailings around the Witwatersrand mines contain up to 460 tons of gold. In an interview with Biznews, Chingwaru said that the tailing dumps in the Johannesburg area are being reprocessed by mining companies, but they are only achieving a 30% recovery rate. He set out to locate the remaining 70% and determine how to safely extract it from the pyrite. Chingwaru’s research has attracted the attention of major mining companies, and he has also received interest from China. Armed with his PhD, he plans to venture overseas to expand his knowledge of mining. However, he intends to return to Africa to promote sustainable mining practices for South Africa and the African continent. Chingwaru is the grandson of the legendary prospector, George Nolan who discovered lithium in Zimbabwe.