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South Africa has 22 operating manganese mines – AmaranthCX 
By: Martin Creamer Updated 7 hours ago South Africa has 22 operating manganese mines, with only four of them owned in part by Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE)-listed companies, AmaranthCX director Paul Miller has calculated. All are in the Northern Cape, except for four small mines well outside the Northern Cape in the North West,... →
Green hydrogen economy growing rapidly – Hatch
By: Martin Creamer 25th September 2020 At Glencore’s Raglan Mine, in Canada, a closed loop, microgrid system converts excess wind power to hydrogen, which is then stored in tanks. During periods of low wind power, a fuel cell produces electricity from the stored hydrogen, and within the facility are also innovations such as a battery... →
Glencore's Raglan Mine in Canada.
Diesel vehicle push could boost platinum demand, says WPIC
By: Donna Slater 25th September 2020 A resurgence in encouraging vehicle buyers to buy diesel vehicles could result in a boost for platinum demand, says the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC). In January 2021, the European Commission will measure the average fleet carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of each European automotive... →
Steelpoortdrift advances to PFS
By: Esmarie Iannucci 23rd September 2020 A scoping study into the Steelpoortdrift vanadium project, in South Africa, has estimated that the project would require a capital investment of $161.5-million, ASX-listed Vanadium Resources said. The study estimated that the project produce between 18.7-million and 20.8-million pounds of... →
Authorities laudably supportive of grid-tied Pan African solar project – coordinator
By: Martin Creamer 22nd September 2020 The authorities have been laudably supportive of the R150-million grid-tied photovoltaic solar project that is to be built to supply electricity to Pan African Resources’ highly successful Elikhulu tailings retreatment plant in Evander, Mpumalanga. The nigh-10 MW solar plant, which is expected to... →
Elikhulu tailings retreatment plant at Evander, in Mpumalanga.
Gold miners have important role to play in meeting the UN SDGs
By: Simone Liedtke 22nd September 2020 The gold industry can play a major role in helping to address the many social, economic and environmental challenges facing the world, while also expanding its overall contribution to meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, says AngloGold Ashanti nonexecutive director Kojo... →
Harmony hoping to re-engage PNG ‘at earliest opportunity’
By: Mariaan Webb 21st September 2020 Gold miner Harmony is keen to re-engage the Papua New Guinea negotiating team “at the earliest opportunity” to secure a special mining lease (SML) for the Wafi-Golpu gold/copper project, which it owns in a joint venture with Australian miner Newcrest Mining. In an address to the Denver Gold... →
AngloGold reinstates guidance on growing certainty
By: Martin Creamer 21st September 2020 Gold mining company AngloGold Ashanti on Monday reinstated annual guidance on improved operating certainty amid the Covid-19 pandemic and in anticipation of the conclusion of the sale of its South African assets at the end of this month. All conditions precedent have been met with respect to the... →
Acquisitions on the backburner for Implats after C$1bn Canada buy
By: Mariaan Webb 21st September 2020 South Africa-based platinum group metals (PGMs) major Impala Platinum (Implats) CEO Nico Muller has ruled out any near-term merger and acquisition activity and has said the group will instead reinvest in its current business units. Participating in the 2020 Denver Gold Forum Americas conference,... →
Mining well placed to maintain healthy profits despite pandemic impacts, says Stanlib
By: Marleny Arnoldi 18th September 2020 Asset manager Stanlib says the scars from a blow-out of corporate bond yields and indebted miners finding themselves on the brink of collapse have ultimately introduced good balance sheet and operational discipline into the sector. This included rationalising growth plans and consolidating... →
Minerals Council welcomes call to rebuild the South African economy
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 18th September 2020 Industry body the Minerals Council South Africa has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address this week announcing the further lifting of restrictions with the shift in the country’s Covid-19 status to Level 1 from September 20. The Minerals Council says it also shares the view of the... →
Bullish sentiment about PGMs sector’s immediate outlook, long-term potential
By: Nadine James 18th September 2020 Speakers at the September 9 virtual 2020 PGMs Industry Day, hosted against the backdrop of historically high prices for certain platinum-group metals (PGMs), seemed cautiously optimistic about the immediate outlook for, and long-term potential of, the PGMs sector. The event, organised by... →
WEF White Paper highlights human rights fragility in DRC's artisanal mining sector
By: Donna Slater 17th September 2020 Human rights abuses associated with artisanal cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are highlighted in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) 'Making Mining Safe and Fair: Artisanal cobalt extraction in the DRC' White Paper, published in September. Amnesty International business,... →
Egoli likely to be S Africa’s least complicated underground gold mine – Pan African 
By: Martin Creamer 17th September 2020 What is expected to be South Africa’s least complicated underground gold mine is on the way at Evander, Mpumalanga, in the form of the Egoli gold project. Planning to bring the low-capital quick-return project to life is Pan African Resources, the London-, Johannesburg- and New York-listed... →
Report says mining industry has ‘huge SDG potential’, but laments lack of action
By: Simone Liedtke 17th September 2020 The mining industry, which has a significant role to play in contributing to and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is falling short, according to a new report by the Responsible Mining Foundation and Columbia Centeron Sustainable Investment, titled 'Mining and the... →
IDC, DBSA invest in development of locally-produced fuel cell energy tech
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 17th September 2020 Development finance institutions, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), have committed project development funding to Mitochondria Energy Company, a local South African business that was established with the purpose to provide affordable,... →
Mitochondria CEO Mashudu Ramano
Solar to provide most of gold plants’ daytime power – Pan African
By: Martin Creamer 16th September 2020 The 10 MW solar electricity plant that Pan African Resources will construct on site at its Elikhulu gold-from-tailings plant next year at a cost of R150-million will take care of most of Elikhulu’s daytime power requirements. This is the first phase of solar power generation at Evander. Pan... →
Pan African proposes record final dividend as headline earnings surge
By: Martin Creamer 16th September 2020 Gold mining company Pan African on Wednesday proposed a record final dividend after headline earnings surged 93% and net cash generated by operating activities rose by 42%. Mining Weekly can report that, in the 12 months to June 30, gold produced by the London-, Johannesburg- and New York-listed... →
Pan African CEO Cobus Loots
Great opportunity to lock in higher gold price for future – Harmony
By: Martin Creamer 16th September 2020 The current gold price presents a great opportunity to lock in the higher price for the future, says Harmony Gold FD Boipelo Lekubo, against the backdrop of Harmony’s hedging programme realising gains of R2.2-billion since its inception, but the recent dollar and rand gold prices also negatively... →
Harmony Gold financial director Boipelo Lekubo
Court order affords interested, affected persons automatic access to mining right applications
By: Marleny Arnoldi 15th September 2020 The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has welcomed an order handed down by the High Court in Pretoria related to access to information and how it may be obtained. The court declared that interested and affected parties, as contemplated by the Mineral and Petroleum Resources... →
Mponeng integration presenting ‘wonderful opportunities’ – Harmony Gold
By: Martin Creamer 15th September 2020 The integration of Mponeng underground gold mine and Mine Waste Solutions surface gold recovery operation into Harmony Gold was presenting “wonderful opportunities” in the West Wits area, Harmony CEO Peter Steenkamp said on Tuesday. Harmony, which will be on site at Mponeng and Mine Waste... →
Harmony Gold’s free operating cash soars
By: Martin Creamer 15th September 2020 Gold mining company Harmony Gold on Tuesday reported 106% increase in operating free cash flows on a 25% improvement in the rand gold price to R735 569/kg in financial year 2020, resulting in a 9% increase in revenue to R29.25-billion. In the year to June 30, the company, headed by CEO Peter... →
Platinum’s new sweeter spot elicits multiplicity of optimistic analyst views
By: Martin Creamer 14th September 2020 The new sweeter spot that platinum group metals has entered drew a multiplicity of mainly optimistic viewpoints from analysts attending the virtual PGM Industry Day. Chaired by business development manager Rand Merchant Bank Henk de Hoop, the viewpoints were provided by Standard Chartered Bank... →
(From left top) Simon Kendall, Patrick Mann, Mandi Dungwa. (From left bottom) Henk de Hoop, Suki Cooper.
Platinum group metals patenting their way into battery EV space
By: Martin Creamer 14th September 2020 Platinum Group Metals CEO R Michael Jones does not let grass grow under his feet. His parting shot to moderator Bernard Swanepoel at the virtual 2020 PGMs Industry Day last Wednesday was that platinum was on its way into battery electric vehicles as a battery metal. “If you're a great EV... →
Sale of AngloGold's South African assets to Harmony to close on Sept 30
By: Marleny Arnoldi 14th September 2020 JSE- and NYSE-listed AngloGold Ashanti has announced that all conditions precedent to the sale of its remaining mining mines in South Africa to Harmony Gold have been met. This includes the unconditional approval by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy for the transfer of the West... →
Hydrogen, platinum fund sets up shop in South Africa with dollars to invest
By: Martin Creamer 11th September 2020 London-headquartered AP Ventures, an independent venture capital fund focussed on investing in early-stage companies that use or enable the use of platinum group metals (PGMs), has established a presence in South Africa. AP Ventures founding partner Kevin Eggers told this week’s virtual 2020 PGMs... →
Top from left, Anton Berlin, Tim Schlick, Kevin Eggers. Bottom from left Benny Oeyen, Matthias Dohrn, Trevor Raymond.
Diamond sales improve in line with eased Covid-19 restrictions globally – De Beers
By: Donna Slater 11th September 2020 The value of diamond miner De Beers' rough diamond sales, which include global sightholder sales and auctions, for the sixth and seventh sales cycles of this year, amounted to $116-million and $320-million, respectively. CEO Bruce Cleaver says diamond markets showed some continued improvement... →
Rio drops axe on CEO, execs over caves debacle
By: Esmarie Iannucci 11th September 2020 Mining major Rio Tinto has announced the resignation of CEO Jean-Sebastian Jacques, iron-ore CEO Chris Salisbury and group executive of corporate relations Simone Niven, following the Juukan Forge rock shelters debacle. The resignations come after the August publication of the Board Review of... →
Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastian Jacques
Watch out lithium, platinum's eyeing your battery space, says PTM
By: Martin Creamer 10th September 2020 Electric vehicles (EVs) are synonymous with lithium and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) are synonymous with platinum group metals (PGMs), but will the twain meet? They certainly will if Toronto- and New York-listed Platinum Group Metals (PTM) CEO R Michael Jones has anything to do with it.... →
Sandra du Toit and R Michael Jones (top) and Bernard Swanepoel (below).
IEA says green hydrogen is ‘ready for big time’ and lists Africa as key production site
By: Terence Creamer 10th September 2020 Africa has been listed, in a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report, as one of the locations that could emerge as dominant in the production of green hydrogen, which the agency says is required to extend the decarbonisation reach of renewable electricity to industries where the direct use... →
Sibanye-Stillwater eyes battery metals
By: Nadine James 10th September 2020 Having started its diversification strategy by venturing into platinum-group metals (PGMs) in 2016, Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman says the company is now considering diversifying into battery metals. In response to a question posed during the PGMs Industry Day on September 9, he stated,... →
Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman
Platinum has potential to be three-times-bigger $35bn-a-year industry – Minerals Council
By: Martin Creamer 9th September 2020 Instead of being the $11-billion-a -year type industry that it is today, the platinum business has the potential to be a $35-billion-a-year industry by 2050, Minerals Council South Africa CEO Roger Baxter said on Wednesday. Baxter made this statement in response to a question put to him during a... →
Promoting hydrogen economy should be No1 priority – RBPlat’s Phiri
By: Martin Creamer 9th September 2020 Promoting the hydrogen economy should be South Africa’s number one priority, Royal Bafokeng Platinum CEO Steve Phiri said on Wednesday. Speaking during a panel discussion on the current state of the platinum group metals industry at the virtual 2020 PGMs Industry Day, Phiri said that this... →
Steve Phiri, Andries Rossouw (from left top) and Natascha Viljoen, Nico Muller (from left bottom)
Commenters call for an end to lockdown as second-quarter GDP contracts sharply
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 8th September 2020 South Africa’s real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased by just over 16% between the first and second quarters, resulting in an annualised growth rate of ‑51%. This has extended the economic recession into its fourth quarter. →
Ivanhoe to discuss Kamoa-Kakula project options with shareholders
By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th September 2020 TSX-listed Ivanhoe Mines and its partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) − Zijin Mining Group, Crystal River Global and the country’s government − have welcomed the positive findings of an independent definitive feasibility study (DFS) on the Kakula copper mine project. This study,... →
Prize potentially large in platinum fuel cell and hydrogen growth – prof
By: Martin Creamer 8th September 2020 Significant growth in fuel cells and hydrogen is now almost certain and the prize for South Africa remains potentially large. That is the view of E4tech director Professor Dr David Hart of Switzerland, expressed in an address to a fuel cell webinar hosted by Nedbank CIB on Tuesday. (Also watch... →
Possible special dividend on high-flying rhodium, palladium prices – Sylvania
By: Martin Creamer 7th September 2020 High-flying rhodium and palladium prices are giving rise to a possible special dividend being paid to the shareholders of cash-flush Sylvania Platinum, the London Aim-quoted company that recovers platinum group metals from chrome tailings. The board of the company, which benefits from sizeable... →
Implats ups capex guidance to R6bn-plus for new financial year
By: Martin Creamer 4th September 2020 Platinum group metals mining and marketing company Implats, which generated free cash flow of R14.4-billion in the 12 months to June30, is forecasting capital expenditure (capex) of between R6-billion and R6.8-billion in the new 2021 financial year. This is well up on the capex of R4.5-billion in... →
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