Steenkampskraal Monazite Mine (SMM) and Mintek, South Africa’s national mineral research
organisation, today announced a landmark achievement in the country’s critical minerals sector:
the successful production of high-purity Mixed Rare Earth products at Mintek’s laboratory
facilities as critical feedstock to the global megatrends in energy transition, digital transition and
medical applications.
This forms the foundation of the commercial production of rare earth products in South Africa
before the end of 2026 with longer-term expansion to include rare earth elements and thorium
beneficiation as well as medical isotope production.
