Hillside Aluminium, located in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal is celebrating 30 years of aluminium production which has supported thousands of local jobs, boosted the local and national economies, and delivered improvements to infrastructure and services in local communities.
The milestone was marked at a gala event attended by President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau, local and provincial leaders, members of South32’s leadership team, and many of Hillside’s past and present employees.
Officially opened by President Nelson Mandela on 19 April 1996, Hillside was part of an ambitious vision by South Africa’s new democratic government and industry to grow industrial capacity and create jobs, bolster international trade and contribute to local downstream beneficiation.
Image source: south32.com
South32 Chief Executive Officer, Graham Kerr said, “Hillside’s success over the past 30 years is a testament to what can be achieved through collaboration between the private sector and the government. By strengthening local supply chains, stimulating downstream manufacturing and reinforcing government’s priorities to grow the economy and create jobs, Hillside has been a powerful catalyst for growth.”
“We are particularly proud of Hillside’s role in supporting the domestic downstream aluminium industry as a supplier to local companies that manufacture products for sale domestically and abroad.”
South32 Chief Operating Officer, Noel Pillay, said, “Hillside Aluminium provides a strategic supply of aluminium to local industries in South Africa, and globally. Hillside’s role in driving economic development has meant thousands of people have been employed directly and indirectly in the uMhlathuze Local Municipality and the King Cetshwayo District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.”
“We are immensely proud of Hillside’s investment in local communities, which focus on improving education, economic participation and health outcomes. Its social investment programme has reached more than 5 million people over the past five years alone. We look forward to Hillside continuing to play a critical role in South Africa’s growth and development story.”
The Hillside Aluminium smelter is located in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, about 180 kilometres north of Durban. It is the largest aluminium smelter in the southern hemisphere and only primarily producer in South Africa, producing high-quality, primary aluminium for domestic and export markets. When it was built in the early 1990s, Hillside was South Africa’s single largest private sector investment and remains one of the country’s biggest industrial projects.
The smelter took two years to build, opening ahead of schedule with an initial capacity of 500 000kt per year. Following an expansion in 2003, it continues to test its maximum technical capacity with annual production of 720 000kt.
Today, Hillside supports the employment of approximately 1 100 permanent employees and approximately 2 550 indirect on and off-site jobs. Through the aluminium value chain, Hillside provides the foundation for an estimated 29 000 jobs across the economy, and from 2015 to 2024 contributed approximately R35 billion to South Africa’s gross domestic product.
Hillside is a cornerstone of South Africa’s aluminium value chain. It has partnered with the Automotive Industry Transformation Fund (AITF) and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) to provide financial support to Bingelela Alloys to expand the production of rim alloys that are supplied to manufacturers in South Africa, with final goods being used by the automotive industry including BMW and Toyota.
Hillside is working towards providing funding support for an aluminium rod manufacturing facility in Richards Bay. This facility aims to supply local content in support of Eskom’s plans for a 14 000km grid expansion. In addition, Hillside is working with local partners on a potential dross plant and a billet alloy plant.
Hillside is Eskom’s single largest industrial customer, with its consistent electricity demand profile playing an important role in keeping South Africa’s electricity grid stable and delivering significant revenue to Eskom annually. South32 is continuing to work collaboratively with Eskom to deliver a long-term energy solution that supports Hillside’s competitiveness, contributes to regional economic stability and industrial growth, and aligns with South Africa’s broader decarbonisation objectives.
Hillside Aluminium’s unique position in Richards Bay, with its port and energy infrastructure that supports 24/7 operations, means it is well positioned to continue to play an important role in the development of the city and province, and to the broader South African economy.
