What this place is
The Bushveld Complex holds the great majority of the world's known platinum-group metals in three thin, remarkably continuous layers. Mogalakwena mines the one thick enough for an open pit.
What comes out
Platinum
A dense, unreactive metal that speeds up chemical reactions without being consumed by them.
Palladium
Platinum's cheaper cousin for most of the twentieth century, then briefly more expensive than gold because petrol…
Rhodium
The rarest of the metals traded in any volume, produced in tens of tonnes a year, and the only practical way to strip…
Copper
The reddish metal that carries electricity better than anything except silver, and which humans have been smelting…
Nickel
A silvery metal that resists rust, which is why it goes into stainless steel — and, more recently, into the cathodes…
A “by-product” is a metal recovered because it happens to be in the same rock, not because anyone went looking for it. Its supply therefore follows the primary metal’s economics, not its own.
Who owns it
| Company | Role | Interest |
|---|---|---|
| Anglo American | Miner | Owner-operator |
As publicly reported by the operators. Ownership of large mines changes; verify against current company filings before relying on it.