Debswana to extend lifespan of Botswana diamond mine

Botswana diamond miner Debswana has reported significant progress in the implementation of the Lethlakane mine tailings resource treatment project (LMTRTP). In a statement issued on Friday,... 

Poverty led to Marikana tragedy, says Mahumapelo

Poverty was the root cause of the Marikana tragedy four years ago, North West premier Supra Mahumapelo said on Sunday. “Poverty forced people to work in the mines, some come from Zimbabwe, Lesotho,... 

Botswana, Namibia expand scope of Trans-Kalahari railway project

The government of Botswana and Namibia have expanded the scope of the Trans-Kalahari Railway Line project from being a dedicated coal export route to a multisectoral project designed to unlock the... 

Four men jailed for one year for unlawful diamond mining in Northern Cape

Four men have each been sentenced to one year in prison after they were convicted of illegal mining in Northern Cape, police said on Thursday. Spokesperson captain Philani Nkwalase said the four... 

Lily Mine’s rescue operations to resume in the next six months

The search for the remains of three Lily Gold Mine workers, who were trapped underground in Barberton in Mpumalanga in February when a lamproom container they were working in fell into a sinkhole,... 

Terminal pay season opens at mothballed Botswana nickel miner

The payment of terminal benefits to all former employees of liquidated Botswana nickel miner BCL Limited will start on November 30 amid expectations that it would be concluded by December 16, the... 

Zuma decides on judicial review of Madonsela’s report on state capture

President Jacob Zuma announced on Friday that he will take the remedial action contained in the “State of Capture” report of former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela on judicial review. “The... 

‘Ramaphosa meets our criteria for president’: Cosatu

Despite being embroiled in the fallout following the Marikana killings, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was the right person to take over... 

Debswana shuts down Lethlakane opencast mining operations

Debswana Mining Company (DMC) has closed down its Lethlakane Open Pit diamond mine because it had reached the end of its lifespan. Addressing the last parliamentary session in Gaborone late last... 

NUM denies reports of Gupta capture, admits receiving money

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Friday vehemently denied allegations that it had been captured by the controversial Gupta family, and took strong exception to a journalist who... 

Three bodies of Zama-Zamas found in Welkom mine

The bodies of three illegal miners – two of them with name tags – have been recovered from a mine in Welkom and the South African Police Service (SAPS) are appealing to their relatives of the... 

Zuma says he reprimanded Zwane

President Jacob Zuma said on Monday, in response to a parliamentary question that he had reprimanded Mineral Resources Mosebenzi Zwane for falsely stating that Cabinet had agreed to an inquiry into... 

Botswana’s emerging diamond cutting and polishing firms struggling – VP Masisi

Botswana Vice-President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the country’s emerging diamond cutting and polishing firms are struggling against constrained access to credit facilities, high production costs and a... 

Eskom ‘sets the record straight’ on its dealings with Glencore

Recent media reports quoting Glencore as vehemently denying it had ever proposed coal price increases of more than R300/t to Eskom “cannot go unchallenged”, the electricity parastatal said on... 

Chamber of Mines rejects criticism of SADC mining industry’s record

The Chamber of Mines has rejected the view that the mining industry has had a purely negative impact on society in mineral-rich sub-Saharan Africa. Instead, the Chamber said that the industry had... 

Liquidator retrenches all 5 000 workers at mothballed Botswana nickel miner

All 5 000 employees of the moth-balled Botswana nickel miner Bamangwato Concession Limited (BCL) and its subsidiaries Tati Nickel Mining Company (TNMC) and BCL Investments will receive their last... 

Botswana diamond miner announces four-month plant closure

Contract miner Basil Read Mining Botswana (BRMD) has announced an immediate cessation of all mining operations at Lerala Diamond Mine (LDM), which is owned by Australian gem miner Kimberely... 

Namibia approves world’s first marine phosphate mining project

The Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) has approved the marine phosphate mining application from an Omani mining company, paving the way for the opening of the world’s first ever... 

Oakbay notes involvement in 5 of 72 ‘dodgy’ transactions

In an apparent attempt to reassure shareholders, Oakbay Resources and Energy released a statement on Monday distancing itself from all but five of 72 so-called “dodgy” transactions involving its... 

Provisional liquidator given 4 months to determine fate of mothballed Botswana nickel miner

The government of Botswana has given the newly-appointed provisional liquidator of mothballed nickel miner Bamangwato Concession Limited (BCL) four months to make a determination on whether the... 

Local authority appeals for extended life-span of ailing Botswana nickel miner

The Selebi-Phikwe town council has pleaded with the cabinet sub-committee set up to probe the feasibility of continued mining operations at the ailing Bamwangwato Concession Limited (BCL) mine to... 

NUM member dies after attack at Sibanye's Cooke operation

A National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) member has died following his attack at Sibanye’s Gold Cooke 2 operation in Westonaria, the union said on Wednesday. Branch secretary Wilson Metsing said... 

Lily mine disaster: Eight months of no answers

Families of three Lily Mine employees who got trapped underground when the mine in Barberton collapsed in February are still in the dark about when the remains of their loved ones will be... 

New Namibian uranium mine says to start production next month

Swakop Uranium has announced that production at its Husab mine in Namibia would commence late next month. Local media reports said the planned operationalisation of the mine was disclosed by... 

PricewaterhouseCoopers gets buyer for liquidated Botswana mine

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) says it has finally identified a buyer for African Copper’s Mowana mine in Botswana, almost a year after it was liquidated over a P47-million debt. The closure of the... 

Kibo appoints Absa as Mbeya Project’s financial adviser

Kibo Mining on Thursday said it had signed an advisory engagement letter with Absa Bank laying out the scope of work and terms under which it will act as financial advisor on the Mbeya Coal to... 

Assmang investigates sexual harassment complaint against Black Rock Mine manager

Black Rock Mine on Wednesday said it was investigating an internal complaint of sexual harassment involving a manager and a female employee. The investigation was initiated after the National Union... 

South African gold and diamond miners shine, base metals face slow recovery

Moody’s Investors Service on Tuesday said South African gold and diamond miners’ credit quality had good prospects to continue strengthening. Moody’s assistant VP Douglas Rowlings said the gold and... 

DMR moves to close down Langlaagte shaft of death

The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) on Friday confirmed that it was moving ahead with plans to shut down the shaft at the disused mine in Langlaagte, west of Johannesburg, where three illegal... 

Transnet to sue Futuregrowth

Transnet CEO Siyabonga Gama revealed in Parliament on Wednesday that the South African parastatal intends to sue Futuregrowth Asset Management for damages. Briefing Parliament’s portfolio committee... 

Families want to rescue illegal miners in Langlaagte

The relatives of illegal miners who have been trapped underground at a disused shaft at Langlaagte, west of Johannesburg, were on Monday negotiating with police to allow them to go underground and... 

Brown lauds Eskom leadership after Medupi unit comes on line

Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown had high praise for Eskom CEO Brian Molefe and chairman Ben Ngubane on Friday after the Medupi power plant’s Unit 5 was synchronised to the electricity grid.... 

P1bn debt burden weighs down top Botswana nickel miner

Botswana’s top nickel miner Bamangwato Concession Limited (BCL) is sinking with a debt burden of at least P1-billion ($100-million) amid escalating costs of deep underground mining as nickel prices... 

South African parastatals credible, reliable borrowers, says Brown

Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown on Thursday moved to assure investors that South Africa’s parastatals were on solid footing as she responded to news that a second money manager would... 

Mozambique seeks Kimberley Process certification to export newly-found diamond wealth

The Mozambican government is seeking clearance to export its newly-found diamonds from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) amid reports that up to 34 international mining companies... 

Synthetic diamonds threaten Botswana’s mining-based economy, says former minister

The expansion of the global synthetic diamond market poses a threat to the economy of Botswana which depends on the mining and sale of the natural mineral, a former government official has warned.... 

Eskom continues to cooperate with National Treasury on coal contract probes

Eskom on Sunday dismissed reports that findings have been made against the parastatal, insisting it continues to cooperate with the National Treasury on its investigations of Eskom coal contracts.... 

Authorities close illegal chrome mine in Limpopo

Police and mining resources authorities have closed down a lucrative illegal chrome mine near Burgersfort in Limpopo on Tuesday. Authorities claimed that a group of miners who claimed to be mining... 

Lonmin working hard to improve living conditions, says CEO Magara

Lonmin is working hard to improve the living conditions of its workers, CEO Ben Magara said on Tuesday. “I know very well that living conditions of some of employees are not well. We are doing our... 

Mineworkers must be valued – Mathunjwa

Mineworkers must be valued, the Association of Mineworkes and Construction Union (AMCU) president Joseph Mathunjwa said on Tuesday. “Our miners need to be valued. Mining underground is the hardest...