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…
Mining cost inflation eases in July, but energy risks linger
SOUTH African mining input cost inflation slowed in July, but high fuel and other energy-linked costs still weighed on the sector. The Minerals Council South Africa said its…
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…
Implats suspends Rustenburg shafts for week-long safety reset
IMPALA Platinum (Implats) suspended production at its Rustenburg shafts on Friday for five days in order to conduct a “safety reset” following two underground fatalities this…
How long before miners call on Eskom for their rebates?
ESKOM will invite the attention of its mining clients in yet stronger terms if it agrees to cut its tariff for Transalloys, the manganese smelting business currently heading for…
Amid the gloom, De Beers sees glimmer of hope
SHOPPING for platinum jewellery, especially of the bridal variety, has become more expensive in the past year thanks to the 35% improvement in the metal’s price. But for a good…
Mining DG cool on DTIC’s forced mining beneficiation plan
IN a revealing exchange at the Junior Mining Indaba on Tuesday, reflecting inter-departmental tension over the idea of forced mining beneficiation, Jacob Mbele, the…
Cadastre to be rolled out within a year, says DMPR’s Mbele
SOUTH Africa’s new minerals cadastre had been successfully rolled out in the Western Cape and would be implemented nationwide within the next 12 months, said Jacob Mbele,…
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…
Water security a growing risk for SA mining
WATER supply disruptions are emerging as a significant threat to South Africa’s mining sector, with bulk supply in multiple regions subject to frequent interruptions during 2025,…
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…
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…
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…
Eskom tariff for ferrochrome “needs to be replicated”
ONE assumes the electricity regulator in South Africa (Nersa) is conscious that in approving a heavily discounted tariff for ferrochrome smelters, it is waving a green flag for…
The stunning rebound of South Africa’s PGM producers
EXACTLY two years ago, Northam Platinum CEO Paul Dunne, who is also president of the Minerals Council South Africa, warned that a severe squeeze on the platinum group metals…
Five miners missing after South Africa diamond mine mudslide
FIVE miners remained missing on Wednesday, more than 24 hours after a mudslide at Ekapa Mining’s diamond mine in South Africa, said Reuters. The Minerals Council South Africa…
Why SA rebranded thermal coal a critical mineral
IS coal a critical mineral? The question has risen to prominence since South Africa designated coal as a “highly critical” mineral in its Critical Minerals Strategy released last…
South32 will close Mozal in March amid talk of last ditch rescue
SOUTH32 does not see a way back for its Mozal aluminium smelter which is expected to close in March, sources familiar with the company’s thinking say. This is despite reports the…