Salt is a common ingredient in many dishes. It is an important part of our daily diet and it is also used as a preservative. Salt can be found in many places, but most salt comes from mining.
Salt is mined by extracting it from the sea or subterranean deposits and then refining it through evaporation, crystallization, or both processes. The salt may be concentrated to remove impurities such as clay, sand, and water before being packaged for sale.
Where does salt come from in South Africa?
South Africa has a limited amount of salt reserves, mostly as underground brines associated with inland saltpans and coastal saltpans.
Sea salt is a product of the state of South Africa and is made through the evaporation of seawater, which is principally composed of 3.5% dissolved solids which are primarily sodium chloride.
At the saltworks, evaporation concentrates seawater. 1,204 relative density eventually leads to crystallisation pans.
There are two salt companies based around Port Elizabeth, one is in Coega which supplies Branding Salt, and another is in Swartkops which supplies wholesale markets.
