Hosted by the Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa (MEMSA), at the Mind Shift Conference the 2026 Innovation for Mining and Excellence Awards, recognised technologies delivering meaningful impact in mining safety, productivity, sustainability and operational performance.

MEMSA noted that award judging placed equal emphasis on innovation and measurable industry impact.

Major Award Winners Included:

Excellence Award: Future Workforce Builders – Bell Equipment South Africa was recognised for its strong culture of innovation, apprenticeship development and digital skills integration. While, Buraaq Mining Services received the SME category award for its artisan training programme and practical technology exposure initiatives.

Excellence Award: Global Game Changer – AZTEC Innovative Mining Solutions received the award for its globally exported gold tailings treatment technology and commitment to fully local manufacturing.

Innovation by an SME – Buraaq Mining Services won for its Mechanised Roof Bolter designed to improve underground safety through intelligent control systems and operator protection.

Innovative Use of Data and AI – Mentormate received the inaugural award for its AI-powered engineering expertise platform tailored to Southern African mining conditions.

Digital Solutions for Mining – SmartOps was recognised for its Bluetooth Low Energy underground tracking and communication system enabling precise underground positioning.

Innovation for an Energy Transition in Mining – Gravitas Minerals won for its Chromex Process, a water-only technology recovering chrome and iron from tailings while reducing energy use and carbon intensity.

Innovation Towards Zero Harm – HydroPower Systems won for its water-powered remote drilling system enabling safer underground ore pass development.

Innovation in Mineral Processing – AZTEC Innovative Mining Solutions received the award for its patented reactor technology recovering additional gold from leach tailings.

Innovation in Surface Mining – Bell Equipment South Africa won for its advanced Motor Grader platform featuring AI-ready architecture and telematics integration.

Innovation in Soft Rock Mining – SmartOps was recognised for its Cutting Sequence Monitor system using Bluetooth Low Energy mesh networking.

Innovation in Hard Rock Mining (Navin Singh Award) – Wekaba Engineering received the award for its patented Grout Flower Seal Solution, improving anchor installation efficiency, safety and grout retention.

As the conference concluded, delegates expressed strong confidence in South Africa’s engineering capability and mining innovation potential despite growing economic and operational pressures.

The MEMSA #MindShift Conference reinforced that the future of mining will belong to organisations capable of combining technology, industrial agility and human adaptability to solve real operational challenges.