Mzila Mthenjane
CEO Minerals Council South Africa
Mr. Mzila Mthenjane (“Mzila”) is the CEO of the Minerals Council South Africa, the lobby and advocacy group whose members represent 90% of South Africa’s mineral output and employment. He was previously the Executive Head for Stakeholder Affairs at Exxaro Resources Limited. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the resources business, which has been attained in the mining and financial services sectors.
He has held various board positions as non-executive director in various entities including Pamodzi Gold Limited, Fraser Alexander, and Merafe Resources. Most recently, he was on the Exxaro Board, intimately involved in stakeholder engagements and strategy.
He is the current Chairman of the Board of the Impact Catalyst and is the former Chairman of the Wits University Mining Engineers Association and the former President of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Mr. Mthenjane holds a BSc degree in mining engineering from the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) and he has completed various leadership development training including the Senior Management Development Programme from the Graduate Institute of Management and Technology (GIMT). In addition, he has completed the ABSIP leadership programme with GIBS and Advanced Management Programme, with INSEAD.
His leadership acumen has greatly benefited his current role, drawing on his experiences in building and retaining harmonious yet robust relationships with Exxaro’s diverse stakeholder groupings. These stakeholders included employees, customers, investors, legislators, communities, traditional leaders, the media, unions, and civic organisations. In parallel, he advised the Exxaro leadership on the dynamics and changes within the external environment and their possible impact on the business.
He is credited with successfully leading the development of Exxaro’s sustainable impact approach, as well as establishing Exxaro’s ESG narrative for stakeholder engagement. Through his leadership, Exxaro has remained among the top performers for integrated reporting, as acknowledged by local and offshore ratings agencies.
2025 Agenda Sessions
LEADER SPOTLIGHT – Minerals Council South Africa
Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector
Monday 03 February 15:45 - 16:05 CTICC1
Disruptive Discussions
Hear from one of Africa’s pioneering leaders of change as they share their vision, and actions, for future-proofing Africa’s mining sector
CTICC1 Africa/JohannesburgAn Integrated Approach to the Development of South Africa’s Critical Minerals
Topics to be addressed:
- South Africa state of mining and critical minerals strategy
- Beneficiation of Critical Minerals and SA’s Industrialisation Drive
- Innovation, technology, skills to support beneficiation of Critical Minerals
- Power generation to support industrialisation
- Financing of South Africa’s critical mineral development
- The role of private sector in catalysing inclusive economic growth across the critical minerals value chain
- Manganese as a critical mineral for the battery industry
Tuesday 04 February 09:30 - 11:00 CTICC2
Intergovernmental Summit Track 2
- South Africa state of mining and critical minerals strategy
- Beneficiation of Critical Minerals and SA’s Industrialisation Drive
- Innovation, technology, skills to support beneficiation of Critical Minerals
- Power generation to support industrialisation
- Financing of South Africa’s critical mineral development
- The role of private sector in catalysing inclusive economic growth across the critical minerals value chain
- Manganese as a critical mineral for the battery industry
Are we leading the right way to Future-Proof African mining?
• Does mining have an institutional culture problem?
• What does it mean to lead with moral courage?
• How do you make decisions that are not just about the law and shareholders, but for the greater good?
• What are the fundamentals of building trust?
Tuesday 04 February 11:00 - 12:00 CTICC1
Sustainability Series
• What does it mean to lead with moral courage?
• How do you make decisions that are not just about the law and shareholders, but for the greater good?
• What are the fundamentals of building trust? CTICC1 Africa/Johannesburg
Unlocking South Africa’s energy and logistics for a sustainable mining future
Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane is joined by Transnet CEO Michelle Phillips and Eskom CEO Dan Marokane for an in-depth discussion of the operating environment for mining in South Africa.
The work done jointly through the Presidency between the private sector, government departments and state-owned companies has started yielding positive results in the supply of electricity.
The focus is now on restoring Transnet rail and port services to capacity by including the private sector. Mining is a major user of the services provided by Eskom and Transnet.
The three CEOs will be joined by Mpumi Zikalala, Kumba Iron Ore CEO, as they explore the successes, challenges and opportunities for all three sectors in a discussion moderated by Minerals Council Chief Economist Hugo Pienaar.
Tuesday 04 February 14:00 - 15:00 CTICC1
Industry Intel
The work done jointly through the Presidency between the private sector, government departments and state-owned companies has started yielding positive results in the supply of electricity.
The focus is now on restoring Transnet rail and port services to capacity by including the private sector. Mining is a major user of the services provided by Eskom and Transnet.
The three CEOs will be joined by Mpumi Zikalala, Kumba Iron Ore CEO, as they explore the successes, challenges and opportunities for all three sectors in a discussion moderated by Minerals Council Chief Economist Hugo Pienaar. CTICC1 Africa/Johannesburg
Geopolitics, Africa and the real business of critical minerals
The world’s largest economies are reliant on critical Africa’s critical minerals for their industrial, technology and new energy needs. But with the world becoming increasingly unstable, globalization on the back foot, and both trade wars and hot wars breaking out, Africa risks losing the development advantage its mining should offer. But with the right strategic focus and risk management the continent could thrive. In this context we explore:
•The Geopolitics of demand
•How Africa can move up the minerals value chain
•Investment into infrastructure and logistics that benefits host countries
•Dealmaking and mobilizing money for new projects
Thursday 06 February 11:35 - 12:15 CTICC1
Young Leaders Programme
The world’s largest economies are reliant on critical Africa’s critical minerals for their industrial, technology and new energy needs. But with the world becoming increasingly unstable, globalization on the back foot, and both trade wars and hot wars breaking out, Africa risks losing the development advantage its mining should offer. But with the right strategic focus and risk management the continent could thrive. In this context we explore:
•The Geopolitics of demand
•How Africa can move up the minerals value chain
•Investment into infrastructure and logistics that benefits host countries
•Dealmaking and mobilizing money for new projects
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