[en] This survey reviews the information in the literature on the auriferous rock formations in the Witwatersrand-Orange Free State gold-mining area, the gold-bearing horizons, and the mineralogy and petrography of the different ore types. The metallurgical aspects of the gold, silver, uranium, platinum-group elements, cobalt, nickel, copper, and chromite in these ores are examined and, on the strength of this information, a list is given of those problems in metallurgical extraction that are of a mineralogical nature. Finally, a number of research projects, aimed to support current research at the Council for Mineral Technology, are suggested