Proposed mining laws show SA Govt has learnt nothing
SOUTH Africa’s mining industry is “crawling on the floor” while mining in Australia, Canada, America and the rest of Africa is on a conveyor belt, says Peter Major, veteran…
Policing illegal miners isn’t working. What will?
WHEN 87 illegal miners died underground at Stilfontein in 2024 – and 1,826 surfaced from abandoned shafts – the event was a symptom, not an aberration. The uncomfortable truth…
Mantashe reiterates tailings concerns after Samancor incident
Mines Minister Gwede Mantashe says tailings dams are a mining issue and must be treated as part of mining operations, not as a water issue. Mantashe visited Samancor Dikwena…
Minerals Department to inspect Samancor tailings spill
MINES Minister Gwede Mantashe is expected at Samancor Chrome’s Dikwena operation near Brits on Monday after a tailings storage facility failure last week sent sludge spilling…
Chrome export levy resurfaces in new industrial strategy
CHROME ore export levies are squarely on the South African government’s agenda after earlier indicating they were “a blunt tool”. A target set down in the revised Industrial…
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…
Minerals Council losing confidence in Govt’s mining cadastre
THE Minerals Council South Africa on Wednesday expressed concerns about the country’s new minerals cadastre which is being rolled out by the government. “The longer it takes to…
Mantashe acknowledges power inflation hurting metals industry
SOUTH Africa cannot build a downstream metals industry until the problem of high electricity prices is resolved, mines minister Gwede Mantashe said in an address to Parliament on…
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…
It’s time Govt. stepped up to global mining challenges
EVERY year, for the past few decades, the world’s mining heavyweights have come to South Africa at the beginning of February, expressed their displeasure with our overregulated,…
Tinkering with reform puts SA mining in limbo again
This article was first published in The Mining Yearbook 2025 New draft legislation is being considered while SA faces international uncertainty and domestic upheavals as its…
Why Tharisa could be worth double its market value
THE irony of the government’s proposed chrome tax, aimed at encouraging local beneficiation of minerals, is that it punishes companies that do most to beneficiate. Platinum is…
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…
Techmet’s Trump link could benefit South Africa
TECHMET’S growth in critical minerals production, processing and marketing is likely to get “bigger and quicker” with the backing of the Trump administration, says TechMet…
MPRD bill talks will take “a lot of thrashing” to avoid court
THE Minerals Council wants to “thrash out” with Government the issues it is not happy with in the proposed amendments to the Minerals Petroleum and Resources Development Bill but…
Minerals Council hoping to avoid MPRD legal tussle
NEITHER the Minerals Council nor the Department of Minerals and Petroleum Resources (DPMR) wants to end up in court over the latest proposed amendments to the Mineral Resources…
Mantashe clashes with Froneman over attracting US investment
SOUTH African mines minister Gwede Mantashe rejected a business proposal offering the United States access to Africa’s critical minerals, citing concerns that Sibanye Stillwater…
SA introduces artisanal mining licensing system
SOUTH Africa’s mineral resources department has gazetted corrections to the Draft Mineral Resources Development Bill 2025, introducing a comprehensive licensing framework for…
SA almost vanishes from Fraser Institute policy radar
THE promise of a new mining cadastre did little to change investor attitudes to South African mining, according to the 2024 edition of the Fraser Institute’s mining companies…
Mantashe US mineral threat branded self-destructive folly
SOUTH African mines minister Gwede Mantashe’s proposal to withhold mineral exports to the US in retaliation for 30% across-the-board import tariffs was described by analysts in a…