New mining project that could power South Africa for 500 years

• The Steenkampskraal Monazite Mine (SMM) in the Western Cape has officially launched Phase 1 of its monazite concentrate plant.
• The launch was initiated by Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, along with other officials, marking South Africa's transition from research and laboratory breakthroughs to commercial mineral processing.
• The mine's resource alone represents about 500 years of current South African electricity generation.