Former Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA) president and renowned geologist Dr Richard Viljoen passed away on the eve of November 22 following heart surgery.

Viljoen was GSSA president in 2007 and 2016 and was well known for his many contributions to South African geology and geological heritage. 

“The GSSA sends its condolences to family and friends,” the organisation said on November 24.

Viljoen was the twin brother to geologist Professor Morris Viljoen who succumbed to Covid-19 in 2021.

Richard Viljoen’s son, Andrada CEO Anthony Viljoen, is also a notable player in the mining industry. He said on November 23 that his father was “an exceptional individual and a towering figure in the global mining and geological community.

“He served as a steady compass, bringing clarity, discipline and a deep sense of purpose to every endeavour and geological discovery. I had the unique privilege of working alongside him as both son and business partner, benefitting from the extraordinary depth of geological knowledge that he and my uncle, Morris, so generously shared.”

Richard Viljoen spent 15 years as the chief consulting geologist for Gold Fields of South Africa. Over his career, he helped develop several major mines, including Northam Platinum and the Leeudoorn and Tarkwa gold mines. He also identified and developed a substantial platinum deposit in the Bushveld Complex for Akanani Resources.

Beyond South Africa, Richard Viljoen worked as a consultant for exploration and mining companies in Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, India and China, covering base metals, gold and platinum projects, preparing numerous competent person’s reports for developments such as the Witwatersrand South Reef project, the Doornkop mine project and the Uramin uranium project.

In his later years, he worked as a technical adviser for VM Investment Company and in 2025, published a memoir – co-authored with his late twin brother – titled Reading the Rocks: Adventures of Twin South African Geologists.

“Richard and his late brother Morris leave behind a rich legacy in the geosciences field,” Mining Weekly editor Martin Creamer has commented.