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Martin Creamer
Martin Creamer is Creamer Media Publishing Editor of Engineering News and Mining Weekly.
Tel: +2711 622 3744
Editorial Insight
Difficulty in selling mines may result in the closure option coming to the fore
By: Martin Creamer 11th March 2016 Because most mining majors do not want to give mines away at fire sale prices, the expectation is growing that care-and-maintenance options may take centre-stage. As things stand currently, for-sale notices are ubiquitous, with the likes of Anglo American, Freeport-McMoRan, Vale, Rio Tinto, BHP... →
Sibanye shows good faith, Northam bucks the trend, Harmony hedges the rand
By: Martin Creamer 4th March 2016 Sibanye calls unions back to the table; Northam Platinum bucks the trend by planning growth projects; and Harmony surprises by banking the weak rand. →
London listing marked start of sad tumble of battered Anglo American
By: Martin Creamer 26th February 2016 The 99-year-old Anglo American, an important former participant in the development of the South African economy, has been reduced from a company which had hundreds upon hundreds of assets in the past to one that will have only 16 of them in the future. Its listing in London in 1999 marked the... →
Africa’s mineral-poor outdoing mineral-rich, entering phase of becoming world’s factory, making right choices as change accelerates
By: Martin Creamer 19th February 2016 What mining must do in Africa was spelt out at last week's 2016 Investing in African Mining Indaba →
New EU emissions testing to boost platinum demand, platinum fuel cells wanted to power taxiing planes on runways
By: Martin Creamer 12th February 2016 Brussels last week took ratified proposals to increase European Union (EU) nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission limits for new cars – and a UK airline said it was looking to using fuel cells to power aircraft taxiing on airport runways. Both initiatives should be music to the ears of platinum-mining... →
Platinum fuel cell investment, new govt backing imminent, timeline for Platinum Valley
By: Martin Creamer 5th February 2016 Anglo American Platinum is investing to platinum fuel cell economics; new government fuel cell backing is believed to be imminent; and the special economic zone for platinum now has a 2016 timeline. →
Crystallisation and AMD, cobalt and human rights, new gold mine’s snags
By: Martin Creamer 29th January 2016 The use acid mine drainage water in Eskom power stations may be possible; child labour to produce cobalt is decried; new gold mine in Liberia seeking to defer payments →
More robust investor programme, thematic conference approach at this year’s Indaba
By: Martin Creamer 22nd January 2016 A more robust investor programme and a wider but more thematic approach to the conference agenda is being built into this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, which the organisers say will especially address the growing interest in infrastructure investments that support new and current... →
Is autonomous operation the ultimate path mining needs to follow?
By: Martin Creamer 15th January 2016 Given the issues currently facing the mining sector under the depressed commodity prices, increased costs and the need for operational safety, it is the view of Navin Singh, the mining and mineral resources manager at South Africa’s State-run Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, that... →
In 2016, let’s make mining and stop trying to break mining
By: Martin Creamer 11th December 2015 The South African mining industry’s delicate make-or-break phase was outlined earlier this year by some of the sector’s leading lights, who made it clear that that only a give-and-gain approach from all sides will prevent the struggling industry from losing colossal value. →
From COP to COP, platinum fuel cells make some progress but far short of what’s needed
By: Martin Creamer 4th December 2015 The window of opportunity is still wide open for fuel cells to take their rightful place as efficient, versatile and scaleable energy sources of clean, reliable and cost-effective power. →
Tragic Brazil slimes dam disaster forcing relook at mine waste storage
By: Martin Creamer 27th November 2015 The destructive collapse of the large iron-ore slimes dam at the Samarco mine in Brazil is putting pressure on companies to have their tailings technologies reviewed by independent auditors – as well as forcing a relook at the efficacy of how mine waste is currently stored. →
Private sector must drive mining industry collaboration with all the might at its disposal
By: Martin Creamer 20th November 2015 The South African mining industry needs to claw its way back along a new path of collaboration, convergence and shared value. →
Streaming to lower debt, Lonmin on a knife edge, Zambian mining cries out
By: Martin Creamer 13th November 2015 Streaming is in to raise cash quickly; Lonmin's future growing grimmer; Zambian mining in a dire state; and a production hiatus is forecast for gold mining. →
Worker investment success, platinum offtake agreement, market cap decimation
By: Martin Creamer 6th November 2015 South African mineworkers plough their money into education and training; R750-million is going into a second furnace at a Limpopo platinum smelting comples; and PwC calculates the cost of another annus horribilis for mining. →
Mining must lobby hard for revision of Davis tax committee’s misguided recommendations
By: Martin Creamer 30th October 2015 By now the mining industry and individual mining companies will have submitted their objections to the potentially crippling recommendations of the Davis Committee on Tax and now the industry must also go out and lobby for the committee’s misguided recommendations to be expunged from the next... →
Time for radical change to way mining CEOs are incentivised, boards must stop rubber-stamping skewed M&A
By: Martin Creamer 23rd October 2015 Boards of directors of mining companies should play on th eoperational strengths of their CEOs when it comes to incentives and put an end to the traditional of share bonus schemes. →
Implats’ R4bn for shafts, another platinum bid, equity raise for coal
By: Martin Creamer 16th October 2015 Impala Platinum is raising money to complete two big shaft projects; Sibanye intends unlocking synergies of R800-million a year; and Wescoal wants more money to conplete its flagship colliery project →
South Africa needs to carve out a far more clear-cut policy on coal
By: Martin Creamer 9th October 2015 There was a shock revelation at the Fossil Fuel Foundation conference in Johannesburg last week when coal fundi Xavier Prevost told the meeting that top quality South African coal was no longer a sought-after commodity on world markets. Once the darling of global markets, he revealed that local... →
Platinum fuel cells are the answer in VW emissions snarl-up
By: Martin Creamer 2nd October 2015 The debacle that Volkswagen has caused by misrepresenting the volume of emissions that emerge from the exhaust pipes of its vehicles may just be the catalyst that the world needs to accept platinum fuel cells, which do not emit a single speck of environmental nasties. →
Modernising Obuasi, optimising blasts, uranium opportunity
By: Martin Creamer 25th September 2015 Plans are being rolled out to revive Ghana's under-performing Obuasi gold mine; a company outlines how to save money by blasting precisely; and a nuclear body is projecting a likely under supply of uranium in the years ahead. →
South Africa needs strong new national mining champion to invigorate the local economy
By: Martin Creamer 18th September 2015 The South African economy needs a national mining champion to inject new vigour into the economy as well as the mining board of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The primary listing in London of Anglo American and the loss of the old Gencor assets into Australian hands has left the JSE with... →
Glencore management's own cash ploughed into business
By: Martin Creamer 11th September 2015 Global commodities mining and marketing company Glencore is taking sweeping financial steps to stave of the commodity price downturn. →
Mine of the future, managing coal, manganese terminal
By: Martin Creamer 4th September 2015 Universities are designing the mines of the future; a call has been made for South Africa to ensure future coal reserves for essential domestic use; and engineering design is imminent for the new Ngqura Manganese Export Terminal →
The indispensable nature of South Africa’s mining industry needs to be widely acknowledged
By: Martin Creamer 28th August 2015 The modern world would be much the poorer without mining, which is something to be borne in mind as the industry takes huge strain under the collapse of commodity prices. As often outlined by Chamber of Mines of South Africa CEO Roger Baxter, mining and the minerals are integral to society and... →
Copper, nickel projects sell-off, more royalty-linked disposals, gold attracting private equity
By: Martin Creamer 21st August 2015 Mining majors are disposing of assets to ensure returns and maintain credit ratings, exemplified last week by global mining and marketing major Glencore selling out of copper in the Philippines and nickel in the Dominican Republic and Côte d’Ivoire for $290-million. →
Coal mine in business rescue, royalty tied to gold mine sale, mine money to community
By: Martin Creamer 14th August 2015 Optimum Coal in business rescue; AngloGold sells for value; platinum mining boosting Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela community. →
Mining distress flags unfurl, diamonds ducking, diving, zinc investment marches in
By: Martin Creamer 7th August 2015 While mining distress flags unfurl, the diamond-mining industry is ducking and diving, gold is cutting back, platinum is selling off and most commodities are under the whip – but enough confidence is being shown in zinc to prompt new investment. →
Globally aligned oil, gas code, Mintek coal sorting plan, art used to tell mining’s story
By: Martin Creamer 31st July 2015 Code published to protect oil and gas investors on the Johanesburg Stock Exchange; Mintek may site coal-sorting test plant at Vlakfontein; art used to illustrate mining history. →
Kenya drawing master plan, Thabazimbi mine closure, cutting road-delivered coal
By: Martin Creamer 24th July 2015 Kenya drawing up mining masterplan; Kumba closing Thabazimbi iron-ore mine; Eskom transporting too much coal by road →
Coal mines and Mpumalanga roads, Arctic platinum spin-off mulled, Chinese coal project in Australia
By: Martin Creamer 17th July 2015 Mining companies are helping to maintain and build roads; Arctic platinum resources may be separately listed; and the Australian government has given the thumbs up to the Chinese building a coal mine in New Soiuth Wales →
Eskom miss Optimum opportunity, govt’s curious AMD snubbing, honesty needed on errant policy
By: Martin Creamer 10th July 2015 Eskom would have done well to take up Optimum's export coal; government's snubbing of an acid-mine drainage solution raises questions; and a call has gone out for honest commentary on errant government policy →
Farlam wants workers housed, Mining Charter goes to court, coal firms transform for Eskom
By: Martin Creamer 3rd July 2015 The Farlam inqiry into the Marikana massacre is firm on Lonmin meeting its employee housing obligations; the Chamber of Mines of South Africa is not not giving up on court battle to clear up the issue of once empowered, always empowered; and Wescoal and Keaton are becoming black controlled. →
Pressure builds for clean coal, rare earths moves at Mintek, artisanal mining killing children
By: Martin Creamer 26th June 2015 Pressure is build for the introduction of clean-coal technologies; Minek in rare earths drive; and concern grows about dangerous ore processing during artisanal mining in Nigeria. →
Nonconflict minerals boost for DRC, Botswana likes Canada safety model, Glencore funds community mentoring
By: Martin Creamer 19th June 2015 A tighter clamp is stopping minerals getting to DRC warlords; Botswana likes Canada's safety model; Glencore funds twentyfirst-century mentoring of rural teenagers close to its South African coal mines →
Prices weigh heavily on top 40, no work for mining graduates, research revolution urged
By: Martin Creamer 12th June 2015 Depressed markets rattling top-40 companies, mining graduates are struggling to find jobs; renewed call for mining clusters →
Glencore finds refinancing a breeze, bank’s $540m African financing, Namibia’s ‘sensible’ mining policies
By: Martin Creamer 5th June 2015 CUTTING’S THE NEW PROFIT – With cost cutting now baked into numbers, the main drivers of relative profitability in the iron-ore sector will be foreign exchange lifts, freight, premiums and discounts for grade and quality. So says London mining analyst firm Liberum Capital, which says that these... →
‘Front foot’ return for mining, election run-up challenges, operating cash for gold mine
By: Martin Creamer 29th May 2015 The Chamber of Mines is showing new resolve to put South African mining back on the front foot; the mining industry has been cautioned on risk mounting ahead of the 2016 local government elections; and Central Rand Gold wants to raise cash to fund its surface operations and plant upgrades. →
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