South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium continuing to go all out to decarbonise – South32

While ‘high-carbon’ is the value-lowering label being put on aluminium from South Africa’s Hillside Aluminium in KwaZulu-Natal, the Sydney-, Johannesburg- and London-listed South32 benefits from... 

Barrick signs MoU with Zambia to boost mining and exploration

Gold and copper mining company Barrick has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a resources organisation of the government of Zambia, which is aimed at boosting exploration and mining in... 

Pan African can operate and grow in South Africa ‘very successfully’, Cobus Loots reports

The London- and Johannesburg-listed Pan African Resources is able to operate and to grow in South Africa – “and do so very successfully”, an upbeat CEO Cobus Loots stated emphatically on Wednesday... 

South32 secures Worsley bauxite project approval Down Under

Sydney-, Johannesburg- and London-listed South32 on Wednesday reported Australian government environmental approval for the Worsley Mine Development Project Down Under. South32’s Hillside Aluminium... 

Platinum group metals have major ‘urban mining’ plus, Johnson Matthey highlights

Platinum group metals (PGMs)  – which are hosted and mined overwhelmingly in South Africa – have recycling rates approaching the 100% mark in some applications, with the carbon intensity of PGM... 

Could BRICS Plus play a new-era role in aiding Africa's strong beneficiation aspirations?

Collectively, Africa’s critical mineral resources are attractively expansive. Could BRICS Plus potentially become a widespread new-era platform for distinctive mining and metals collaboration and... 

Promising renewable diesel pilot production plan announced by powerful partnership

The launch of a pilot initiative to produce feedstock for renewable diesel in South Africa was announced on day two of the Investing in African Mining Indaba taking place in Cape Town. The launch,... 

On-The-Air (07/02/2025)

Martin Creamer talks about clean, green renewable diesel; metals and minerals and manganese. 

Surprise turn as Gold Fields' permanent financial task now falls to interim CFO Dall

Phillip Anthony Murnane will no longer be the new CFO of Gold Fields, as was announced on the JSE Stock Exchange News Service (SENS) in August last year. Instead, as from March 1, that role will be... 

New metallurgical coal list highlights decarbonisation need beyond thermal coal exiting

The demand-surpassing production of metallurgical coal, in spite of the availability of environment-friendly alternatives for steelmaking in particular, is highlighted in the launch of a... 

Petra’s entire interest in Williamson headed for Tanzania’s Pink Diamonds

An agreement has been entered into for the outright sale of Williamson Diamonds Limited, Petra Diamonds announced on Wednesday. The London-listed and South Africa-active Petra is taking steps to... 

Global tailings institute selects South Africa as launch pad of new mine dump standards

In a bid to help make mine tailings safer for people and the environment, a global institute has been launched in South Africa which has also been selected as the location of the independent,... 

Train stoppers, bus burners, cable thieves must be charged with sabotage

The torching of buses, the theft of rail cable and the disruption of key infrastructure must be declared acts of sabotage and punished accordingly. Deliberately destroying services that people need... 

Return of ferromanganese is this year’s focus, Menar emphasises at Mining Indaba

Helping South Africa to return to being a producer of ferromanganese will be a major 2025 focus of mining company Menar, its MD Vuslat Bayoglu emphasised on Wednesday. In an interview on day-three... 

Promising renewable diesel pilot production plan announced by powerful partnership

The launch of a pilot initiative to produce feedstock for renewable diesel in South Africa was announced on day two of the Investing in African Mining Indaba taking place in Cape Town. The launch,... 

Adding value to metals and minerals in Africa emphasised as a must at Mining Indaba

Investing in African Mining Indaba presenters on Monday spoke repeatedly of the need for Africa to add value to its metals and minerals on the continent itself rather than allowing this to take... 

Emission reduction is key coal challenge, industry hears at coal conference

Day two of the twentieth annual McCloskey Southern African Coal Conference opened here on Friday with carbon emission reduction being highlighted as one of the coal industry’s key challenges.... 

On-The-Air (31/01/2025)

It’s that time again on a Friday when Update at Noon presents another Update from the Coalface with Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News and Mining Weekly.  

Blyvoor Gold deal secures US blessing

The prospect of good forward momentum for a resumption of valuable mining at the re-emerging old Blyvooruitzicht (Blyvoor) gold mine has received another boost. This is because Aurous Resources,... 

Underground feasibility progressing, early works capital being deployed – Tharisa

A well progressing Tharisa mine underground definitive feasibility study accompanied by early works capital deployment is reported by Johannesburg- and London-listed platinum group metals (PGMs)... 

India targeting production of five-million tons of green hydrogen a year by 2030

India aims to produce five-million tonnes of green hydrogen year by 2030 under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced. As a first step, two green hydrogen... 

Metallurgical coal is now also coming under attack from climate change fighters

Up to now, it has been only thermal coal that has come the attack from climate change fighters, but now metallurgical coal is also coming under the microscope of a group of ten organisations that... 

Existing South African reforms set to lift growth to 3.5% by 2029, coal conference hears

Existing economic reforms now in motion have the potential to lift South Africa’s economic growth rate to 3.5% a year by 2029, South Africa Presidency Project Management Office director Sikhulekile... 

Platinum playing crucial anti-cancer role, making major pharmaceutical contribution

Platinum group metals (PGMs), which are hosted overwhelmingly in South Africa, are playing a crucial anti-cancer role as well as making a significant overall PGM contribution to the pharmaceutical... 

Sylvania Platinum looking forward to new project’s chrome revenue stream

The London Aim-listed Sylvania Platinum is looking forward to the Thaba Joint Venture introducing a chrome revenue stream. On its way to becoming the first platinum group metals (PGM) beneficiation... 

Coal exports can be uplifted to 81-million tons, Richards Bay Coal Terminal believes

In 2017, Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) exported a record 76.47-million tons of coal on the 907 ships that called in that year, and chairperson RBCT Nosipho Damasane believes that exports can be... 

On-The-Air (24/01/2025)

Martin Creamer talks about South Africa this week become the home base of the standards for all the mine dumps in the world and a celebrated old gold mine is being brought back to life west of... 

Richards Bay Coal Terminal 2024 exports extend beyond 52-million tons

South Africa’s Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) in KwaZulu-Natal exported 52.08-million tons of coal in 2024, up on the 47.21-million tons of 2023, which was the lowest since 1992. RBCT’s budgeted... 

Mining needs to commit to intensified decarbonisation goals, consulting firm says

The mining industry needs to commit to an intensified pursuit of decarbonisation goals amid the rate of greening being too slow to meet science-based targets, consulting services firm dss+ points... 

Anglo delivering more platinum-based hydrogen fuel cell mobility options across Europe

South Africa-linked Anglo American is delivering new platinum group metals (PGM)-catalysed hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEVs) mobility options across Europe. The London- and... 

Ferromanganese revival hopes raised by Competition Tribunal’s green light

The Competition Tribunal approval of the acquisition of ferromanganese major Metalloys in Meyerton, Gauteng, is raising hopes of a revival of South Africa’s manganese alloy potential. Metalloys,... 

Everyone needs to take climate change far more seriously

Things are happening regularly that point to climate change abatement being far more urgent than many global leaders seem prepared to acknowledge. In several places, investors in insurance... 

New metallurgical coal list highlights decarbonisation need beyond thermal coal exiting

The demand-surpassing production of metallurgical coal, in spite of the availability of environment-friendly alternatives for steelmaking in particular, is highlighted in the launch of a... 

Petra's entire interest in Williamson headed for Tanzania's Pink Diamonds

An agreement has been entered into for the outright sale of Williamson Diamonds Limited, Petra Diamonds announced on Wednesday. The London-listed and South Africa-active Petra is taking steps to... 

Global tailings institute selects South Africa as launch pad of new mine dump standards

In a bid to help make mine tailings safer for people and the environment, a global institute has been launched in South Africa which has also been selected as the location of the independent,... 

Strong start to year keeps South32 guidance intact outside of Mozambique

Johannesburg-, Sydney and London-listed globally diversified mining and metals company South32 on Monday reported a sufficiently strong start to the year to enable it to maintain production... 

Ferrochrome production again only marginally up, Merafe’s latest report shows

The attributable ferrochrome production from the Glencore Merafe Chrome Venture for the fourth quarter was 70 000 t, resulting in a marginal increase of approximately 0.3% in production for the... 

On-The-Air (17/01/2025)

Martin Creamer talks about ferroalloy market share, platinum group metals and the green hydrogen economy. 

Global investor sentiment towards South Africa much better in 2024, Exxaro reports

Global investor sentiment towards South Africa improved significantly in 2024, Exxaro FD Riaan Koppeschaar reported on Tuesday, December 3. In a pre-close message for the financial year ending... 

Platinum demand outlook lifted higher by series of new global hydrogen fuel cell buildouts

The outlook for platinum group metals (PGM) demand has been uplifted by a series of new developments in the field of platinum-catalysed green hydrogen generation as well as concomitant fuel cell...