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Friedland’s Ivanplats has three projects in Africa, two in the Democratic Republic of Congo and one in South Africa.
“It’s much better to be mining in the Congo or South Africa than try to be mining in Canada or Australia,” he said during a keynote speech at Mines and Money Hong Kong.
"We believe in the rubber knife theory - it looks scary but it isn't."
Friedland said the politicians who were most likely to steal money from investors were in debt-laden developed countries.
“How could you trust the American government? In the 1920s the Americans said gold was illegal, the possession of gold illegal – it’s like cocaine.”
“The way things are going they [the US] could nationalise the gold mining industry.
“Do you trust the redhead in Australia?” he said, clearly referring to Gillard in a comment that drew laughter from the crowd.
“This constant wanking about, saying ‘we are a safe place, we are a safe place to mine’.”
Friedland said the company was getting a huge amount of support from the “intelligent people” of South Africa and the Congo.
“South Africa is one of the greatest mining countries in the world, it has first-world infrastructure, they have been mining there for 100 years, the government is just looking for a new paradigm where the local people participate in the wealth on which they are sitting,” he said.
“We can afford to build schools and hospitals and our local black empowerment holders are not just going to be one rich oligarch.
“We are going to give exposure and equity from the mine to a trust for women, a trust for children, a trust for the local community so that hundreds of thousands of people have equity exposure to a really great mine.
“So I am very enthusiastic about the future of mining in South Africa, the currency of the rand to the dollar is cheap, we have everything we need in South Africa mining – compared to going into the middle of the Gobi Desert it’s an easy proposition.”
Friedland said he was committed to “uplifting” people through development.
“Be good to the local people, just share the wealth, you can’t fool them and that’s the way mining should be done.”
