Slope Stability X26 logo
Event recap / 10–11 September 2026 / The Garden Venue, Northriding, Johannesburg

Slope Stability X26

Africa’s practitioner-led slope stability conference and expo. Two days on the disconnects behind major slope failures, with engineers from Gold Fields, Anglo American, Exxaro Resources and Vedanta Zinc International in the room.

Produced by The Open Business Group
63Attendees
31Organisations
16Speakers
12Partners
4Countries
What happened

The first Slope Stability X conference and expo

Slope failures rarely come from one bad decision. They come from the gaps between investigation, design, construction, monitoring and governance.

SSX26 brought those disciplines into one room. Over two days at The Garden Venue, speakers from Exxaro Resources, Anglo American, Vedanta Zinc International, Foskor, Menar Group, Letšeng Diamond Mine in Lesotho and Swakop Uranium in Namibia shared how they investigate, design, build and monitor slopes in working mines.

Alongside the programme, partners showed their technology at indoor exhibition stands and in the outdoor Slope Innovation Park, and delegates continued the conversation in the venue gardens between sessions.

Who was in the room63 people from 31 organisations in four countries attended over the two days. Ten mining operations were represented: Gold Fields, Exxaro Resources, Anglo American, Foskor, Modikwa Platinum, Vedanta Zinc International, Menar Group, Letšeng Diamonds (Lesotho), Swakop Uranium (Namibia) and Mutapa Gold (Zimbabwe). They were joined by consulting engineers, technology and solution providers, academia and insurance.
Speaker presenting at Slope Stability X26Delegates talking in the venue gardensDelegate at the Maptek exhibition stand
Five themes

The full life of a slope

01

Investigation & site characterisation

What the ground is really telling us, from structural mapping to drones and soil characterisation.

02

Design & planning

Closing the gap between strategic mine design and what the ground allows.

03

Construction & execution

Rockfall protection and ground support that performs in the field, installed and tested correctly.

04

Monitoring & operations

Radar, prisms, InSAR and telemetry, and turning that data into early warning.

05

Risk & governance

Who owns geotechnical risk: safety leadership, regulation, enforcement and closure.

Speakers and presentations

What was presented

Every session from the two-day programme. Request the speaker slides below.

Day 1 · Thursday 10 September

Opening address: ESG & HSE in mining — redefining risk ownership in geotechnical operations

Dr. Amu Manyike-Modau
Dr. Amu Manyike-ModauChief HSE & ESG Officer, Vedanta Zinc International
in
Risk & Governance

Opening keynote: From compliance to culture — redefining safety leadership in modern mining

Patronella Molutsi
Patronella MolutsiManager: Engineering, Exxaro Resources
in
Risk & Governance

Mine planning for slope stability: bridging strategic design and ground reality

Madidimalo (Aubrey) Phoko
Madidimalo (Aubrey) PhokoPrincipal Engineer: Strategic Mine Planning & Design, Exxaro Resources
in
Design & Planning

Exploring structural influence in slope stability analysis

Lehana Bulane
Lehana BulaneGeotechnical Engineer, Letšeng Diamond Mine, Lesotho
in
Investigation & Site Characterisation

How do you design rockfall protection systems that actually perform in the field?

Khomotso Moleke
Khomotso MolekeCEO, M84 Geotech
in
Construction & Execution

Eyes in the sky: drone technology for smarter slope investigationA live drone demonstration of high-resolution aerial mapping, survey-grade RTK measurement and close-up inspection of slopes and mine infrastructure.

Jaco Botha CA(SA)
Jaco Botha CA(SA)Chief Financial Officer; GPR and Drone Operations, Bakgoni Geotechnical Engineering
in
Investigation & Site Characterisation

The role of satellite interferometry in integrated strategic monitoring of mine slope stability

Andile Mkandla
Andile MkandlaHead of Business Development Africa, TRE Altamira
Monitoring & Operations

Rockfall mitigation solutions: innovative systems for slope stabilisation, hazard protection and infrastructure resilience

Blaise Trevyn Jacob
Blaise Trevyn JacobHead of Department: Central & Southern Africa, Maccaferri Africa
in
Construction & Execution
Day 2 · Friday 11 September

Reading the signs early: from geotechnical monitoring to data-driven failure prediction

Stewart ChaperonAngkrish Gujral
Stewart Chaperon & Angkrish GujralTANDM and Encardio Rite Monitoring Solutions (ERMS)
inin
Monitoring & Operations

Monitoring and assessing pit wall stability: integrating radar, prisms, InSAR and field investigations

Christine Thikusho Pr.Sci.Nat
Christine Thikusho Pr.Sci.NatSenior Geotechnical Geologist, Swakop Uranium, Namibia
in
Monitoring & Operations

Key considerations for effective slope performance monitoring: a case study

Nyeleti Masole (MSc Eng)
Nyeleti Masole (MSc Eng)Chief Rock Engineer, Foskor
in
Monitoring & Operations

Who watches the ground after closure? A rock engineering perspective on rehabilitation success

Thabang Matlala
Thabang MatlalaSenior Mine Planning Engineer, Menar Group; Vice Chairman, IMSSA
in
Risk & Governance

From monitoring to early warning: instrumentation, telemetry and real-time data for proactive slope risk management

Schalk Prinsloo
Schalk PrinslooOperations Manager: Hydrology & Geohydrology, Terra Monitoring
in
Monitoring & Operations

Getting ground support right: correct installation and testing of products for mining and civils

Leon Oosthuysen
Leon OosthuysenManaging Director: Africa, Lichenry & JOB SA Engineering & Management
in
Construction & Execution

Early Warnings: unlocking the full potential of LiDAR data for MRM integration, performance and safety improvement, compliance enforcement and movement detection

Ayanda Njotini
Ayanda NjotiniSolution Specialist – Mine Measurement, Maptek South Africa
in
Monitoring & Operations Design & Planning

From field to failure: how soil characterisation quality determines slope performance

Moses Skosana Pr.Sci.Nat
Moses Skosana Pr.Sci.NatGeometallurgist & Geotechnical Engineer, Anglo American
in
Investigation & Site Characterisation

Testing for the worst case: assessing effective stress and pore pressure response in problematic African soils

Pieter Botha
Pieter Botha Pr.TechniChief Executive Officer & Director, Bakgoni Geotechnical Engineering
in
Investigation & Site Characterisation
Who was involved

The partners behind SSX26

Thank you to the organisations that made the first Slope Stability X possible.

Session recordings

Watch the talks

We are releasing the SSX26 session recordings one at a time. Join the SSX27 list and we will let you know as each one goes live.

Request the speaker slides

Tell us who you are and we will email you the SSX26 presentation slides that speakers have released.

Keep me updated

3 + 10 =

We use your details only to contact you about this event. See our privacy policy.

4–5 August 2027

The conversation continues at Slope Stability X27

More speakers, shorter sessions and the same five themes, taken further. The early-bird waitlist and call for papers are open.