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Loucas Pouroulis, Chairman Emeritus, Tharisa

Loucas Pouroulis bows out 15-year stint at Tharisa

THARISA founder Loucas Pouroulis is stepping down from the board after more than 15 years as chair, handing the role to lead independent director Carol Bell. Pouroulis, who has…

Molten gold pour.

Ivory Coast plans gold refinery start in 2027

IVORY COAST plans to start operating a gold refinery in the first half of 2027 as it seeks to expand local processing and become Africa’s largest gold producer by 2035, Bloomberg…

Zimbabwe dollars

Fresh capital, old problems for Zimbabwe mining

ARE investors still too wary of Zimbabwe’s mining sector? Two international miners – Caledonia Mining and Tharisa – think so, and both are committing significant capital to…

Expensive yes, but $300m bond takes Tharisa to next step

UNTIL Northam Platinum unveiled plans last month to grow production by 50%, its smaller counterpart, Tharisa, was something of a rarity in the platinum group metals (PGM)…

Mark Learmonth, CEO, Caledonia Mining

Caledonia closes in on funding for $600m Bilboes project

CALEDONIA Mining said it was close to securing further funding for its Bilboes gold project in Zimbabwe, with a $150m interim bank facility due to close as early as October. The…

(Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)

Tharisa seals $300m Karo Platinum funding

THARISA has secured the $300m bond needed to complete its Karo Platinum project in Zimbabwe, removing uncertainty over how it would fund the remaining cost of the $545m mine. The…

What resource nationalism means for Africa’s miners

Governments across Africa are seeking to assert greater control over their mineral wealth by rewriting mining codes, demanding larger equity stakes or greater local…

Nico Muller, CEO, Impala Platinum

Implats takes shine to bite-sized Waterberg JV

IMPALA Platinum (Implats) has turned more positive on the long-delayed Waterberg JV project as plans for a smaller mine improve its chances of getting off the ground. Implats…

Tharisa to raise $300m bond for Karo Platinum

THARISA, the JSE-listed platinum and chrome miner, is preparing an initial five-year $300m bond with the proceeds aimed at plugging the balance of its $545m Karo Platinum project…

Richard Stewart, CEO of Sibanye Stillwater. Photographer: Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“Juicy” mine ripe for expansion, says Sibanye-Stillwater’s Stewart

SIBANYE-Stillwater CEO Richard Stewart described the firm’s recently approved R5.5bn Mt Lyell copper project in Australia as “juicy” with significant resource expansion…

Lithium miners cash in as battery storage lifts demand

LITHIUM producers from China to Australia have reported sharply higher profits as rising battery-storage demand lifted prices for the metal, Bloomberg reported. Chinese producers…

Phoevos Pouroulis, CEO, Tharisa. Photo: Tharisa plc.

Karo Platinum secures 25-year mining deal in Zimbabwe

THARISA’S Karo Platinum project in Zimbabwe has secured a 25-year Special Mining Lease Agreement with the Government of Zimbabwe. This, the company says, provides the tenure and…

Zimbabwe’s currency ZiG, which is backed by a basket of foreign currencies, gold and other precious metals. Photographer: Cynthia R Matonhodze/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Valterra hits brick wall on Zimbabwe’s unpaid $100m

VALTERRA Platinum said it was making progress extracting current export proceeds from Zimbabwe, but an agreement on getting a historic amount of $100m paid was unresolved.…

Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema

Zambia pushes pan-African minerals exchange

ZAMBIAN President Hakainde Hichilema is championing plans for a pan-African minerals and metals exchange, aimed at helping resource-rich nations capture more value from their…

Lithium

Zimbabwe’s only lithium plant lacks spare capacity

ZIMBABWE’S single operating lithium sulphate plant, run by a unit of China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, has no room to process material from rival producers just months before a ban…

Phoevos Pouroulis, CEO, Tharisa. Photo: Tharisa plc.

Tharisa sees price support despite weaker chrome

CHROME concentrate prices have softened in the wake of softer stainless steel demand, partly owing to the Middle East conflict, said Tharisa CEO Phoevos Pouroulis. He was…

AI minerals drive plans for Congo’s first stock exchange

THE Democratic Republic of Congo is developing plans for its first stock exchange, with the Kinshasa bourse potentially operational as early as next year, said Bloomberg News.…

Mthuli Ncube, finance minister, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe to use minerals deals with China for infrastructure

ZIMBABWE is in talks with China Railway over resource-backed financing to fund road and rail construction, as the southern African nation seeks to address an estimated $34bn…

Lithium concentrate

Zimbabwe’s lithium miners plead for leeway on export ban

ZIMBABWE’S lithium miners have asked the government to delay a planned ban on concentrate exports by six months to June 2027, saying producers need more time to complete local…

Rubies lie exposed at the bottom of a mine pit at Gemfields Montepuez mine

Mozambique mining law risks deterring foreign investors

MOZAMBIQUE’S new requirement for the state to hold a 15% free-carry stake in all mining ventures risks deterring foreign investment, said Reuters citing the Southern African…