Gemfields takes $125m hit at Montepuez ruby mine
GEMFIELDS expects to report a $73.5m loss for the six months to June after taking a $125.2m impairment against its Montepuez ruby mine in Mozambique, where it recovered fewer…
Three years of giving junior mining a voice
On 12 September 2023, a significant new chapter was written in South Africa’s mining industry at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The launch of the Junior Mining Council…
Rare gemstones gain favour as supplies tighten
A SHRINKING supply of natural gemstones is pushing collectors and jewellers beyond the traditional favourites that have dominated the market since the Second World War, driving…
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…
Johannesburg is having a gold rush … Sort of
THE last time gold was as valuable, prospectors, gamblers, bounders and other rakes were united in scouring the globe – from California to Johannesburg – with their pickaxes and…
SA’s illegal miners face R100m fines, 30 years jail
ILLEGAL miners could be fined up to R100m and jailed for up to 30 years under legislative changes designed to tackle South Africa’s illicit mining crisis, said News24 on Tuesday.…
Ghana jails opposition figure over illegal mining
GHANA has sentenced a senior opposition politician to 20 years in prison over charges tied to illegal mining, said Bloomberg News citing a report by Joy FM – a privately-owned…
Ghana’s cabinet backs mining law overhaul
GHANA’S cabinet has approved amendments to the country’s mining law for submission to parliament, Mines Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah said in a Reuters report. The proposed…
Landslide kills 28 at Angola illegal mine
AT least 28 people have been killed after a landslide struck an illegal gold mining site in Angola’s northwestern Bengo province, in one of the country’s deadliest artisanal…
Congo seeks deals with miners to curb illegal mining
THE Democratic Republic of Congo is seeking partnerships with mining companies to formalise artisanal digging on their concessions, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Citing…
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…
Gemfields girds market for loss, debt pressure
RUBY and emerald miner Gemfields said it would post a loss for its 2025 financial year ended December owing to subdued prices, a delay to an expansion project, and operational…
ERG unit urges Congo to halt illegal mining
A UNIT of Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has called on the Democratic Republic of Congo to end illegal mining on one of its copper concessions after a landslide killed and…
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…
Gold on G20 agenda is key in fight against illegal trade
GOLD’S record-breaking gains have generated joy among its miners — but also worry. Looking beyond the outsized financial gains for investors, the explosion in demand for a…
Colombia to purchase gold from informal miners
COLOMBIA will begin buying gold directly from small-scale producers next month in an effort to combat illegal mining and formalise a booming unregulated sector driven by soaring…
SA gold shares to surge higher as discount fades
SOUTH Africa’s gold miners were still playing a ratings catch up with their North American peers despite tracking for a cash margin of at least 40% this year, said PwC. “I think…
South Africa weighs 25% chrome export levy – report
SOUTH African authorities are mulling a 25% levy on raw chrome ore exports as part of efforts to rescue the beleaguered ferrochrome sector, which has haemorrhaged jobs amid…
Pan African detains 4,000 illegal miners annually
PAN African Resources has arrested about 4,000 illegal miners at its Mpumalanga underground operations in South Africa over the past year. This was after the gold producer…