SA miners fear the worst in mineral cadastre rollout
IN May 2024, then Orion Minerals CEO Errol Smart gushed: “I’m coming off an all-time high on hearing this news.” A day earlier, the South African government had signed an…
BHP unveils collaboration with Govt on minerals data
THERE is a definite air of forward momentum in South Africa’s much ignored minerals exploration sector. On the back of a R600m commitment from Anglo American (Anglo-Teck when…
Can South Africa deliver on rare earth minerals?
SOUTH Africa has the critical minerals that the US needs to industrialise, including rare earth minerals, President Cyril Ramaphosa told President Donald Trump in their meeting…
Copper by Christmas? Juniors get real about capital markets
TONY Lennox, CEO of Orion Minerals since May, is hoping to deliver on the mineral development firm’s decade-long promise of copper production, starting with a financing plan that…
Can South Africa save its minerals exploration sector?
Last year, a South African government-backed fund invited applications from would-be junior miners, hoping to find that the country’s mineral exploration business was not…
Orion raises A$5.8m as question over big capital looms
ORION Minerals confirmed on Tuesday it had raised A$5.8m (R67m) through an issue of shares which was encouragingly supported by its key shareholders. The capital raised is to…
Orion halts ASX trade ahead of capital raise
A TRADING halt in Orion Minerals shares on the Australian Stock Exchange could indicate that the company has begun the fundraising flagged by former CEO Errol Smart in May after…
Orion may bring ‘big brother’ into copper mine plans
SHAREHOLDERS in copper exploration firm Orion Minerals can look forward to brighter days after it unveiled bankable feasibility studies of two projects in the Northern Cape.…
Orion confident of funder support to develop PCZM
COPPER mine developer Orion Minerals is confident of raising the necessary funds to proceed with development of its flagship project, Prieska Copper Zinc Mine (PCZM), based on…
Errol Smart jumps ship from Orion to go into the exploration business for himself
Former Orion Minerals CEO Errol Smart is going to set up his own exploration and development operation in South Africa after abruptly leaving the junior copper miner at a…
Orion Minerals CEO Errol Smart announces resignation
ORION Minerals said on Thursday its founding CEO Errol Smart is to resign with near immediate effect “following the recent achievement of key milestones”. He will leave the…
Orion sets out new study for R7.59bn Prieska copper project
ORION Minerals today set down its definitive feasibility study for construction of a brownfields copper mine in the Northern Cape producing 22,000 tons of the red metal and…
Orion delays copper study results after bringing in experts
ORION Minerals has extended the deadline for a study into its Prieska Copper Zinc Mine (PCZM) in South Africa’s Northern Cape province to the first quarter. This follows the…
How train drivers and nurses helped fund SA copper firm
FOR a resource economy it’s curious there’s been so little mineral development by so-called junior miners in South Africa. However, a relatively minor capital raise in July by…
SA copper developers define 2.5Mt in metal output
MINERAL exploration in the Northern Cape over the past five years suggests the once-thriving copper district could recapture some of its former glory. In a world faced with a…
Orion raises R44m with SA investors taking lionshare
ORION Minerals said today it had raised A$3.6m (R44m) through a share purchase plan where the majority of the backing was from the South African market. Local investors…
Orion’s Smart says project funding key after share price grilling
ORION Mineral shares would start to perform once the company had completed the bankable feasibility studies for its Prieska and Okiep mines, and it had shown it was fully…
Orion raises R92m for copper studies amid spike in SA optimism
ASX- and JSE-listed junior copper miner Orion Minerals (Orion) is raising a further A$7.7m (about R92.3m) through the issue of 513 million shares at 1.5 Australian cents (ZAR…
Smart money on juniors now cadastre paves way
COPPER 360 has shown what’s possible in South Africa’s junior mining sector. Since the miner cropped up in 2020 as Cape Copper Oxide Co, Jan Nelson has established an operational…
Laboratories overwhelmed by glut of copper projects – Smart
AN increase in copper exploration had overwhelmed accredited laboratories responsible for assay reports, said Orion Minerals CEO and MD Errol Smart. Announcing assay results from…