Dushendra Naidoo

Head of Safety & Sustainable Development Minerals Council South Africa

Mr. Naidoo’s career began at the CSIR’s Mining Technology Division as a Research Engineer where he 
was involved in a variety of research projects including underground mine support design, Mine Health 
and Safety Council projects and technology driven initiatives for over 5 years. He obtained a merit 
award for successful project outcomes for a mining project at the CSIR. This was followed by 5 years 
in the manufacturing arena at Joy Mining Machinery as a Senior Mechanical Engineer where he led 
aspects of a special project that involved developing a hard rock continuous cutting machine and 
obtained a design patent for the rock breaking system. At Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions he was a 
Lead Engineer for multi-million-rand projects for over 5 years including the design and construction of 
the first vertical lime kiln in Zambia. He also managed proposals for a brief period in the petrochemical 
department. Thereafter he joined Fermel as a Design Office Engineering Compliance Manager where 
he was responsible for mine vehicle certifications, design compliance and quality assured outputs from 
a design team. His passion for training young engineers and design led to him winning the first phase 
of the Isidingo Drill Challenge that was an initiative hosted by the Mandela Mining Precinct. He spent 
some time at Bosch Projects in the Sugar and Industrial Department as part of a leadership team and 
was involved in major projects including the design of one of the largest rotary cascade sugar dryers 
in the world for a Client in Thailand. His technical know-how also led to him having a brief involvement 
in a major expansion project at Tronox Minerals Sands. He was the Principal Adoption Specialist for 
the Minerals Council’s MOSH Transport and Machinery Team for over two years where he was able to 
express his passion for engineering, safety, and the mining industry through the many safety initiatives 
that he is responsible for. He was promoted recently to the Head of Safety and Sustainable 
Development at the Minerals Council South Africa.
On the academic front, Mr. Naidoo holds both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Mechanical 
Engineering from the University of Natal and is a certified Professional Engineer with ECSA. He has 
acquired certificates in project management, financial management, value engineering and
behavioural based safety. Mr. Naidoo spent some time in Germany where he acquired specialized 
knowledge from experts on miscellaneous plant equipment. He is admired by his peers as being an 
innovative, creative lateral thinker who always believes in the power of positive thinking and 
exemplifies this in his work ethic and personal life