Times of crisis and chaos necessitate introspection, creativity and adaptation, and while the Covid-19 pandemic is a challenge that is unprecedented in recent human memory, it highlights how essential continual research, innovation and planning are for the sustainability of society. Challenging periods also tend to reveal or reaffirm people’s raison d’être, and for public–private mining industry collaboration, the Mandela Mining Precinct, its objective of advancing the industry through targeted research and development (R&D) to improve productivity and, importantly, mine health and safety, seems increasingly apt.
