By Marcus Moloko
Images from GCIS.
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the South32 Hillside Aluminium smelter in Richards Bay on Thursday to mark the facility’s 30th anniversary.
The milestone event highlights the smelter’s enduring importance as the largest aluminium producer in the southern hemisphere and South Africa’s primary aluminium facility.
Speaking at a gala dinner held during the celebrations, Ramaphosa praised the smelter’s contribution to the country’s industrialisation and economic resilience.
The President highlighted South32’s R3.9 billion pledge to upgrade rail infrastructure, a move expected to strengthen logistics and boost regional competitiveness. Over the past decade, Hillside Aluminium has contributed approximately R35 billion to South Africa’s GDP and supports around 29,000 jobs across the economy.
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Ramaphosa noted that the smelter’s legacy stretches back to its inception in 1996, when former President Nelson Mandela championed the project as a driver of local industrial growth.
Beyond its economic footprint, the President lauded the company’s social investments.
These include the establishment of a paediatric burns unit, improved water access for households in the King Cetshwayo District, and the refurbishment of Aquadene Secondary School.
