Entrepreneur Jacob Van der Westhuizen establishes Native Mining and Minerals. Built, and grown, on the principle of creating lasting, sustainable value for all stakeholders.

The Native Mining and Minerals Chairman’s Fund is established, becoming one of the first corporate social investment fund in South Africa to be professionally managed. Throughout the years, this fund has continued to be a key part of our strategic vision, partnering with everyone from small grassroots initiatives to capital-building projects and large-scale service-delivery programmes.

In collaboration with others, we develop the Richards Bay Coal Terminal to become the world’s largest dedicated coal export terminal. This, combined with the building of a dedicated rail link from the Witbank coalfield to the port, boosts South Africa’s global capacity, positioning the country as a leader in the export of thermal coal.

Our Petrochemicals Division are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as maize, palm fruit or sugar cane.

We become the a major mining company in South Africa to recognise black trade unions, establishing the groundwork for better communication, understanding and transformation across all levels of our industry.

Our Shipping team awards a 10-year charter contract for four liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuelled vessels, introducing LNG into its chartered fleet for the first time.

These vessels offer huge environmental benefits, including a c.35% cut in CO2 emissions compared to standard marine fuel, and chartering them will help us to move closer to our goal of being carbon neutral across our operations by 2030.