It's old, doesn't look like much and is located well out the way in an arid part of western South Africa.
"Steenkampskraal will become a very important source of rare earths for the global industry," Trevor Blench, chairman of Steenkampskraal Holdings Limited, said during a recent tour.
China produces the largest share of so-called "tech minerals", with a domestic output of 120,000 tonnes in 2018.