From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shannon O'Donnell.

Making headlines today:

South African-miner Gold Fields on Monday confirmed that inspections at its mines regarding the integrity of winding ropes had been completed, and that the Department of Minerals and Energy had lifted the suspension order on all main winders transporting men, material and rocks.

A meeting with the Gauteng principal inspector of mines, South Deep management, and unions would take place on Monday morning, and pending the outcome of that meeting, a decision would be made whether or not to resume operations at South Deep.

The cause of the accident in which nine workers lost their lives on May 1, when a cage fell almost 60 m down a shaft at the South Deep mine, could not yet be confirmed, although the accident was believed to have resulted from a snapped cable.

The accident brought the number of fatalities at Gold Fields operations to 14, after four people were killed after an underground accident at Driefontein on Tuesday, and a driller's assistant was fatally injured in a fall of ground at South Deep on Thursday.

BHP Billiton said it would spend nearly $2-billion expanding an alumina refinery in Australia, saying the outlook for the powder-like, aluminium-making material was strong.

The expenditure, long on the drawing boards, is the latest move by the world's biggest diversified mining house to keep up with multi-billion-dollar expansions underway by rival Rio Tinto, which BHP is trying to acquire through a hostile $147-billion offer.

South Africa's State utility Eskom said it would suspend scheduled rolling blackouts from May 5, 2008.

Eskom was seeing evidence of increased energy savings from municipalities, and the utility was optimistic that further reductions to reach the 10 percent savings target were possible, Eskom CE Jacob Maroga said in a statement.

The statement said top Eskom executives and municipalities from around the country would meet this week to discuss further energy savings measures.

Also making headlines:

Nationwide under provisional liquidation
Prepayment water metres ruled unconstitutional in historical judgement
South Africa and Qatar to advance relations
The Congo's Katanga province orders miners to cut power use to 40%
Barrick Gold marks quarter century
And, Canadian junior hunts for platinum in Ontario

In political news:

Zimbabwe opposition mulls conditions for run-off
UN sees world climate change deal in 2009
Cabinet approves end of South Africa's elite crime unit
And, Stephen Hawking to hold first lecture in Africa

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories, visit engineeringnews.co.za, miningweekly.com and polity.org.za