Mineral beneficiation in South Africa has a low level of value-added mineral processing and the mining Activities mainly consist of the production of primary minerals and the export of unprocessed or partially processed minerals.
South Africa imports various finished products processed from its own minerals. As a result, South Africa has lost significant opportunities in terms of export earnings and job creation due to less beneficiation activities. Therefore, an assessment of the challenges that constrain South African companies from engaging in high-level mineral processing is necessary to help policymakers make informed investment decisions.

The government's beneficiation strategy and policies aim to transform South Africa's inherited comparative advantage from its rich mineral resources into a national competitive advantage. In 2011, the South African government approved a beneficiation strategy aimed at adding value to South Africa's resources such as gold, platinum, diamonds, iron ore, chromium, manganese, vanadium, nickel and titanium, energy coal and uranium.
It is said that the beneficiation policy will fully exploit the potential of mineral resources in South Africa for the maximum benefit of all the people, and it has been determined that this will be achieved by promoting mineral-based secondary and tertiary industries, aiming to maximize the The value of the ore.
South Africa has the world's largest mineral resource base, and the proportion of the mineral products produced is relatively low locally, and most of the minerals are exported to the international market as raw ore.
In view of this, coupled with South Africa's superior geographical location close to raw ore, it has brought huge opportunities for local downstream processors in South Africa. It is also useful to consider the scope of beneficiation by looking at the added value of selected precious minerals, particularly platinum group metals.