Welcome to the South African Mining Technology Availability Readiness Atlas (MiningTARA), an online portal showcasing mining equipment, software and systems developed and manufactured in South Africa.

TARA’s mission is to establish itself as the first and primary online portal used by mining companies to source mining equipment and machinery manufactured in South Africa.

The Mandela Mining Precinct, a novel partnership between the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and Minerals Council of South Africa (MCSA), funded the development of the TARA portal to provide the mining industry with a central access point to the capabilities and offering of local mining equipment manufacturers. Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa (MEMSA) has been a close collaborator and now manages the project.

The South African mining equipment industry is historically well respected for its innovation and technological advancement, driven in part by a demanding home market, and collaboration with locally based mining houses. Even within a highly competitive international environment, local researchers, engineers and manufacturers have continued to develop modern technologies to address the needs of South African and African mining environments - often proving value in offshore markets, too. Yet the capability of the local industry is rarely fully appreciated.

MiningTARA is positioned to foster the innovation, modernisation, and mechanisation of mining in South Africa and provides a platform for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Original Technology Manufacturers (OTMs), software designers and mining component suppliers to demonstrate their commercially available technologies on a user-friendly platform, easily accessible to local and international mines.

The database allows for the inclusion of items currently under development, with the intention of facilitating potential Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) partnerships between product developers and end-users. For items under development, the Technology Readiness Level is indicated, creating the potential for TARA to act as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration.

Universities and research organisations such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are able to access a virtual catalogue of existing local technologies, again facilitating potential collaboration.

The initiative aims to contribute to the sustainability and growth of the South African mining supply chain, contributing to a thriving manufacturing sector, and an increase in skilled and meaningful employment.

Future development:

In the future, it is intended that MiningTARA will provide validation of equipment specifications as the system is ideally placed to integrate verification data from partner test sites.

Development plans include showcasing a wider range of locally developed Real Time Information Management Systems, such as underground network communications, cyber physical systems, software and systems integration options, artificial intelligence, edge computing solutions, and positioning and tracking systems.

Improvement to the functionality of the TARA is an ongoing process. Users are welcome to send feedback and suggestions to tara@memsa.org.za