Transnet targets leap in coal exports despite cash squeeze
TRANSNET has targeted 65 million tons (Mt) in delivered coal exports after another year of rail volume growth, but debt and weak cash generation have put a brake on its ambition.…
Uranium from seawater: Froneman plans new mining firm
NEAL Froneman led the company he founded, Sibanye-Stillwater, for 13 years before abruptly announcing he would step down last year, aged 65. Those years were a punchy, all-action…
SA gathering pace as rail, ports delivery improves
SOUTH Africa’s economy is gaining momentum as the country addresses long-standing structural bottlenecks, said Bloomberg News citing Standard Bank Group. The bank’s chief…
BEE’s gaming problem, not racism, is driving a backlash
AT the Nedbank Top Empowerment Conference in Sandton last month, trade, industry & competition minister Parks Tau addressed the criticism that broad-based BEE (BBBEE) has…
Comrade Gwede, BEE isn’t worth the scrap paper it was written on
THE mining industry is waiting apprehensively for the chairperson of the African National Cosa Nostra and sometimes minerals and petroleum Minister, Comrade Gwede, to gazette…
Transnet signs rail deals in major boost for network reform
TRANSNET said on Wednesday it had secured an additional 24 million tons of freight capacity on the South African rail network after signing agreements with 11 independently run…
Froneman on crime: “Don’t be soft, let’s call it treason”
PUTTING people on special leave is no way to root out crime and corruption, says Neal Froneman, the no-nonsense hard man of South African mining and chair of Business Against…
Froneman says crime “single biggest” threat to SA economy
CRIME isn’t just an inconvenience to doing business, it’s the “single biggest issue we have to address” if South Africa is serious about economic growth, says Neal Froneman,…
Secretive Eskom gets walloped in court by AfriForum
LET it not be said that Eskom doesn’t look out for the little guy. Sure, it buys diesel for its generators from PetroSA and other major international players. But it also spreads…
Policy failures blight South Africa’s mineral wealth
THE Fraser Institute’s 2025 Annual Survey of Mining Companies, a global dipstick of investor sentiments towards mining jurisdictions, has once again highlighted South Africa’s…
SA’s new BEE ‘review’ a stinging test of political courage
WHEN it comes to BEE sceptics, there are few more vociferous than Moeletsi Mbeki, a man who, as the son of Govan Mbeki and brother of former president Thabo Mbeki, is as close to…
Minerals Council warns against Govt “sandbagging”
THE Minerals Council of South Africa has once again appealed to Government to assist rather than block the growth of the country’s mining industry. Addressing PGM Day 2026, a…
Mali establishes judicial mining task force
MALI is creating a specialised task force with judicial powers to oversee gold mining and quarrying operations across the country, said Bloomberg News on Thursday. The Brigade…
Banks failing to screen for illegal mining risks
A LARGE proportion of banks and investors are not screening for illegal mining risks despite operating in sectors vulnerable to illicit extraction, according to Reuters which…
Goldman Sachs tips busy deals year for South Africa
GOLDMAN Sachs expects a surge in deal activity in South Africa this year, with its local CEO predicting broad-based growth across sectors as the economy begins to benefit from…
US deal on Glencore mines paves way for new mining house
A US government-backed consortium’s plan to buy 40% of Glencore’s copper-cobalt operations in Democratic Republic of Congo could create a vehicle for further mining acquisitions…
SA throws lifeline to ferrochrome producers
SOUTH Africa has loosened antitrust regulations to allow companies in sectors crippled by soaring electricity costs to jointly negotiate cheaper power supplies, a move aimed at…
Despite Trump’s antipathy, mining companies will not abandon ESG
This article was first published in The Mining Yearbook 2025 In the US, the second administration of President Donald Trump has been dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion…
What’s behind Mantengu’s crusade against the JSE?
FOR a junior miner barely two years into its listed life, Mantengu has found itself at the centre of an extraordinary saga — one involving alleged share price rigging, a supposed…
Minerals Council calls for ‘rational decisions’ from Govt talks
MINERALS Council SA president Paul Dunne warned that industry and Government discussions over the proposed minerals legislation should not result in “inappropriate policy…