Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A sound strategic approach to the management of the Mine Technical Services (MTS) department at Styldrift is critical. There are numerous areas of influence that play a role in the success or failure of the department. All these influences have an impact on each other and these influences need to be carefully understood. Within the MTS department there are also several subdepartments that have to be staffed, equipped and managed very well in order to get the best interdependent relationship between departments as possible. It is only through this interdependent relationship that the department can function complementarily and excel in achieving its strategic goals. Mineral resources at a mine are managed through the services from the mine technical team. There are few strategic documents in the mineral resource management (MRM) field that provide a guideline to set up a department successfully. Departments throughout the country operate on different levels with different standards without the knowledge shared from the one section to the next. For the purpose of this assignment, some of the ground principles were investigated and documented to create a link between departments, mines and companies to enable the move towards operational excellence within the MTS. Through the application of relevant literature, research was conducted on the industry to determine best practices. The industry best practices are discussed and referenced to Styldrift Specific. The strategy and management philosophy were evaluated and are highlighted in this assignment. With the literature firmly understood and the required direction from the company placed in perspective, the strategy for the MTS department could be crafted to an extent that it can be executed. Each department was broken down to manageable elements to understand the functioning of the department. The fundamental OR requirements were evaluated and are stipulated in this paper. The MTS department was then dissected through the available theory to guide the process of crafting and executing the departmental strategy. The journey through to operational excellence and the fundamental guideline of crafting and executing a strategic plan for an MTS department to manage mineral resources become clearer as the chapters of the assignment are completed. The end goal of the project was to have a document that can guide staffing, equipping and management of the MTS department at Styldrift in order to ensure success for the project, mine and surrounding communities.