COPPER 360, the JSE-listed mining and development company, confirmed on Tuesday that its founding CEO Jan Nelson passed away after a battle with cancer.
“His courage, integrity, and unwavering commitment shaped not only the company we are today, but also the people within it,” the company said in a statement on LinkedIn.
“We are profoundly grateful for his leadership, his passion, and the mark he leaves on our Company and on all who had the privilege of working alongside him,” it added.
A geologist by profession, Nelson was one of the more colourful characters in South Africa’s mining industry. He came to prominence while running Pan African Resources which he developed from a ‘wild cat’ exploration outfit into a respectable junior miner.
Reportedly forced out by BEE partner Shanduka Resources, Nelson took a year off to surfing, during which he bought a surf shop in Strand, Cape Town. His voicemail message at that time was: “I’m surfing. I will call you back between sets”.
He got back into junior mining via Colin Bird’s Xtract Resources but the two fell out and Nelson eventually found his called in the Northern Cape where Copper 360 is currently focused on ramping up production and developing resources.
