Transnet seeks private partner for R44bn manganese corridor
TRANSNET is seeking a private partner to help expand and operate a key manganese export corridor in a project that could cost as much as R44bn, Bloomberg reported. The…
MPRD in 2026: A maze of mineral policy
It is a cliché of effective industrial policy that developing an industry works best if there is “policy certainty”. It is also one of those clichés that becomes a cliché because…
Miners doubt if Transnet’s rail reform is bankable
SOUTH Africa’s freight rail reform has moved past the stage of being dismissed as another policy aspiration without a timetable. The Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM)…
The furnaces that could relight SA’s industrial ambition
MENAR Group, an unlisted coal producer, says it can double mineral exports from its South African mines and projects and create 800 jobs through new ferromanganese production.…
Kumba holds guidance despite costs, price pressure
KUMBA Iron Ore left production and cost guidance for the 2026 financial year unchanged despite being buffeted by freight and mining cost escalation in the first half of its year,…
Worst rain in decades dampens Kumba Iron Ore earnings
RAIN and a stronger rand weighed on Kumba Iron Ore in the six months ended June, the Johannesburg-listed miner said in a trading update today. Headline earnings would come in…
From gold to gas: reclaiming SA’s resource advantage
OVER the course of the past two decades, South Africa has been in a form of economic drift, at times forgetting its economic roots. The foundations on which this country was…
South32-Alcoa deal exposes beneficiation myth
THERE are few words in South African economic policy more seductive than “beneficiation”. It has everything: moral uplift, industrial ambition, a pleasingly muscular rhythm and…
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…
Mining’s slow burn exposure to Middle East conflict
THE memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the US and Iran appears to have brought a relative calm to the Middle East, the occasional conflagration in the Strait of…
Exxaro export coal prices surge amid Middle East conflict
EXPORT thermal coal markets improved in the first half of 2026, said Exxaro Resources, with the Johannesburg miner saying prices increased to as much as $124/t – a 35% lift –…
Grindrod’s harbour expansion is steaming ahead
PORTS, logistics and rail specialist Grindrod has been gaining more steam in recent weeks. Just before the end of April the share touched a five-year high of R22.26, giving the…
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…
Transnet reform critical if SA wants role in SADC metals flow
THE century-old Benguela railway is back in business. Running from the copper belt of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Zambia to Angola’s deep-water port of Lobito,…
Iron ore slips on signs of BHP-China thaw
IRON ore prices fell to their lowest in a month after reports emerged that BHP Group’s incoming CEO had visited Beijing, raising hopes that a prolonged dispute between the miner…
From millstone to option value: How SA has changed for Anglo
THE perceived regulatory and social risks of South Africa used to weigh heavily on Anglo American’s investment rating. Known as the ‘South African discount’, Anglo executives…
SA launches infrastructure credit-guarantee vehicle
SOUTH Africa is rolling out a new credit-guarantee programme designed to mobilise billions of dollars in private investment for infrastructure, spanning power grid expansion,…
Is Zimbabwe’s mining missing the train?
ZIMBABWE’S crumbling rail system may be worse than even South Africa’s. It is a huge stumbling block for its mining industry, raising transport costs and making local minerals…
Kumba opens contract talks with Transnet amid uncertainty
KUMBA Iron Ore may need more capacity on Transnet’s Sishen to Saldanha Bay railway, but where volume isn’t in shortage is in complexity. Not, at least, when it comes to running a…
Stronger Together: Partnerships Take Centre Stage at ENS–JMC Mining Indaba Breakfast
AGAINST the backdrop of Cape Town’s annual Investing in African Mining Indaba, ENS and the Junior Mining Council (JMC) hosted a high-level networking breakfast at Zest…