From miners to financiers, government suits to mining equipment salesmen, they came to the Cape this week for an annual four-day powwow where deals were struck and fortunes mapped out over what lies beneath our feet.
And while local prospects might be dimming — according to Minerals Council South Africa economist Hugo Pienaar, the country’s exploration activity has taken a nosedive, plummeting from R6bn in 2006 to R1bn a year now — there are glimmers of hope at the top of what was once the city’s tallest building.
“We know there is wealth in our metals, but we have to develop the wealth that exists in transforming them into value-added products. It is time for us to move beyond exporting just our raw materials, to realise the opportunity for building global recognition for African-made products,” Grant Crosse, MD of precious metals beneficiation company MetCon, declared on the eve of the Mining Indaba.
The setting? A chic lounge atop the historic 57m-high Grain Silo, reborn in 2017 as the iconic Zeitz MOCAA, where a well-heeled crowd gathered on Sunday evening for the Mine/Shift Earth to Art shindig.
“Africa supplies almost 22% of the gold used in jewellery but produces less than half a percent of the jewellery consumed worldwide,” said Crosse.
The son of Neville Crosse — the business prodigy said to be the youngest CEO of a JSE-listed company in the 1980s — has a point. However, one can’t ignore that gold’s allure these days is less about the glint of wedding bands and more about its unmatched conductivity and resistance to rust — the metal is the secret ingredient in the world’s most covetable product, Nvidia chips, making it an essential to the artificial intelligence boom.
That said, when gold is on full display, it’s hard not to be captivated — like the exquisite jewellery set worn by the night’s MC, Catherine Constantinides, that shimmered almost as much as the bright ideas in the room.
“This entire collection was made just for tonight by Janine Binneman. They are so soft, gentle, and yet so sophisticated,” said Catherine of the accessories to her Tienie Boshoff gold gown.
I caught up with Catherine on the rooftop terrace where guests were treated to bespoke cocktails and munched on canapés, including pea and mint arancini balls (the fourth version of these new catering favs served this year so far); crunchy chicken korma samosas with coriander yoghurt; delicious ricotta and parmesan cigars with tomato chutney and bowls of teriyaki salmon with sticky rice; and cilantro and lime charred chicken thighs served with new potatoes and salsa.
Hello to Yvonne Shaff, the ad sales queen — who now runs a luxury publication and who put together the do — who introduces me to Reginald Kikwai, the registered accountant who is a director at KCB Bank Kenya.
Up comes a vision in fuchsia who I had first met downstairs in the atrium of this very building a few years earlier — then for the Cape Town Resort Collections. Turns out I had erroneously described the ever so glamorous Warawadee Sukonpongpao-Harbich (you can simply call her Eed) as the wife of a property baron.
“My husband doesn’t own the property company, we do,” explains the Bangkok-born, UK-raised businesswoman about their venture, which spans assets around the globe from South Africa to Asia. Oops!
Guests, including beauty pageant owner Carol Bouwer and Harvey Foster of the Swiss-based oil and commodities company Vitol Group (their subsidiary last year acquired the majority stake in Engen) head inside for the proceedings and to view a fashion and jewellery show.
My favourite bit, though, was tucking into the decadent dessert table groaning with chocolate gold coins, scrumptious brownies dusted with gold and silver leaf and topped with choc ganache, and mini ginger and date cakes, while staring at the panoramic view of Table Mountain.
Sadly, I couldn’t extend my stay in Cape Town for one of my favourite annual affairs — the Eve of Parliament reception at the British high commissioner’s residence in Bishopscourt.
Held on Wednesday evening, it was as usual, I am told, a spiffy do, with Antony Philipson and his wife Julie playing host to politicos across the aisle, industry bigwigs and English expats.
G&Ts flowed, local vino was quaffed, and guests nibbled on fish and chips, steak pies, bowls of veg curry and spring rolls in the back garden, while catching up between sets from local outfit GoodLuck and DJ Andre Mercury.
Luckily, lensman Ruvan Boshoff was on hand to snap guests such as Commonwealth Games and Paralympic champ Natalie du Toit, Sars commissioner Edward Kieswetter and EOP regular Patricia de Lille.
With Aunty Patty now having served as a minister under both an ANC and GNU government, I had Ruvan ask whether she’s noticed a difference.
“The constitution defines your powers, and the role of the executive is to execute, so there is absolutely no difference. But ... you know, inside the GNU, they’re all so friendly and lovey-dovey, agreeing on everything. Then, outside, they perform. That’s typical politicians!” she quipped.
The soirée came just a day before President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address — and before US secretary of state Marco Rubio put the cat among the pigeons, declaring on Elon Musk’s social media platform that he’d be skipping the G20 summit in Joburg because “South Africa is doing very bad things”.
The Brits, however, prefer a more cordial brand of diplomacy. In his address, Antony highlighted the shared priorities of the British and South African governments.
“We are talking about delivering — together — for the people of the world. We share a commitment to addressing global challenges like climate change and biodiversity. We are also very proud of our shared values on human rights, including the rights of women and girls, sexual reproductive health, and equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community and persons with disabilities,” he said
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