- Home
- Covid-19 News
- Latest News
- Sector News
- Back
- Base Metals
- Coal
- Chemicals
- CSR
- Diamonds
- Diversified Miners
- Environmental
- Exploration
- Ferrous Metals
- Fluorspar
- Gemstones
- Gold
- Graphite
- Health & Safety
- Hydrogen
- Legislative Environment
- Lithium
- Critical Minerals
- Mineral Sands
- Mining Services
- Oil and Gas
- Platinum Group Metals
- Potash & Phosphates
- Project Management
- Rare-Earth Minerals
- Silver
- Uranium
- Vanadium
- World News
- Magazine
- Video Reports
- Audio
- Research
- Press Office
- Electra Mining
- Back
- Electra Mining Home
- Electra Clips
- Floorplan
- Electra Mining E-Magazine
- Electra Mining Day 1 on 07 September 2020
- Electra Mining Day 2 on 08 September 2020
- Electra Mining Day 3 on 09 September 2020
- Electra Mining Day 4 on 10 September 2020
- Electra Mining Day 5 on 11 September 2020
- Electra Mining Day 6 on 17 September 2020
- Announcements
- Virtual Showroom
- Topics
- What's On
- Jobs
- Tenders
- Mining Indaba
- Apps
- Product Portal
- About Us
- Legal Notice
- Comment Guidelines
- Marketing Videos
- Live Twitter Feed
Mineral Sands News
South Africa’s junior mining dearth result of unintended consequence – AmaranthCX 
By: Martin Creamer 14th September 2021 South Africa’s junior mining dearth is a result of savings no longer flowing through to primary capital raising and stock exchange listings, as the Jacobs Committee expected them to do. The unintended consequence is that there are no longer small investors for small companies. This has negatively... →
Sovereign confirms logistics for Malawi rutile
By: Esmarie Iannucci 8th September 2021 An independent study on the logistics and infrastructure solution for the Kasiya rutile project, in Malawi, has confirmed owner Sovereign Metals’ proffered logistics route through the Nacala logistics corridor (NCL) and exporting from the deep-water port of Nacala. The study pointed out that... →
Coburn tracking on target for late 2022 start
By: Esmarie Iannucci 6th September 2021 First heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) production from the Coburn mineral sands project, in Western Australia, is on track for the December quarter of 2022. ASX-listed Strandline Resources on Monday told shareholders that all major construction contracts for the project had now been awarded,... →
New study extends Kwale mine life
By: Esmarie Iannucci 3rd September 2021 A prefeasibility study (PFS) into the Bumamani and Kwale North Dune deposits has confirmed that the mine life at the Kwale mineral sands operation, in Kenya, could be extended until mid-2024. Dual listed Base Resources said on Friday that the Bumamani PFS concluded that it is economically... →
Base still committed to Madagascar mineral sands project
By: Esmarie Iannucci 1st September 2021 Mineral sands miner Base Resources told delegates at Paydirt’s Africa Downunder conference, in Perth, that the company was still committed to the development of the Toliara project, in Madagascar. Base in 2020 announced plans to delay a final investment decision (FID) on the Toliara project,... →
Ukraine to again try to sell titanium and zirconium miner
By: Reuters 30th August 2021 Ukraine will try, in a second attempt, to sell state-run United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC), Europe's largest titanium and zirconium miner, on October 29, the state property fund said on Monday. On Friday, the fund said it had been forced to cancel a previous auction scheduled for August... →
Ukraine cancels privatisation tender on titanium and zirconium miner
By: Reuters 30th August 2021 Ukraine has cancelled the privatisation auction for the sale of Europe's largest titanium and zirconium miner, United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC), due to the lack of participants, the state property fund said on Friday. The fund said in June the auction was due to take place on August 31... →
Zulti South project delay is already having negative impact – RBM
By: Martin Creamer 30th August 2021 The fact that the Zulti South mineral sands project is not being developed is already having a real impact, says Richards Bay Minerals (RMB) MD Werner Duvenhage. This is because RMB is already unable to fully utilise its smelting complex from a capacity perspective because ore grades in Zulti... →
Machine learning reaches mineral prospecting
By: Halima Frost 27th August 2021 The partnership between mining consulting services provider The MSA Group and Canadian mining software developer Koan Analytics has resulted in machine learning being available to minerals explorers in South Africa and throughout the world. “The partnership offers access to the most advanced... →
Independent auditing of community trust funds will now be enforced – RBM 
By: Martin Creamer 25th August 2021 External auditing of community trust funds by independent auditors will now be enforced and transparency optimised, said Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) MD Werner Duvenhage on Wednesday. While the auditing by independent auditors of the trust funds has always been a requirement, enforcement has been... →
Iluka reports strong first half, defers suspension of ops
By: Esmarie Iannucci 25th August 2021 Mineral sands miner Iluka has reported a 61% increase in sales revenue for the half-year to June, with net profit after tax up 14%. Iluka on Wednesday reported that revenue for the half year reached A$735.6-million, up from the A$456.6-million reported in the previous corresponding period, with... →
With Richards Bay Minerals operations resuming is there still hope for Zulti South?
By: Martin Creamer 24th August 2021 Diversified mining company Rio Tinto announced on Tuesday that it had commenced the process of restarting operations at Richards Bay Minerals, in KwaZulu-Natal. This follows a stabilisation of the security situation around the mine, supported by the national and provincial government, as well as... →
IDC in discussion on the introduction of an exploration fund – Demana
By: Martin Creamer 23rd August 2021 The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is in discussion on the introduction of a fund to underpin much-needed exploration in South Africa. This was stated by Reginald Demana, the IDC’s head of mining and metals, infrastructure and energy, in a wide-ranging Zoom interview with Mining Weekly.... →
Kenmare continues to generate significant production increases, profitability
By: Simone Liedtke 18th August 2021 Continued capital investment and hard work has continued to generate significant increases in production and sales volumes for LSE-listed Kenmare Resources, translating into higher profitability for the mineral sands producer. This was evidenced by the company having achieved, for the six-month... →
South Africa on verge of nice breakthroughs in hydrogen, says new SAIMM president
By: Martin Creamer 17th August 2021 South Africa is on verge of nice breakthroughs in hydrogen, says newly elected Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) president Isabel Geldenhuys. Speaking to Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview, Geldenhuys expressed the view that all the big mines with big moving machinery... →
Friendly South African face could quickly attract exploration investment – Bristow
By: Martin Creamer 11th August 2021 South Africa looks a lot like the global gold mining industry in that it has not encouraged reinvestment in its mining industry’s future, says Barrick Gold president and CE Dr Mark Bristow. "In fact, if anything, South Africa has harvested what it received back in 1994," adds Bristow, a hugely... →
Barrick president and CE Dr Mark Bristow.
Iluka production increases in June quarter
By: Esmarie Iannucci 22nd July 2021 Mineral sands miner Iluka has seen production increase in the three months to June, as full production resumed at its Synthetic Rutile 2 (SR2) kiln at Capel. Total zircon/rutile and synthetic rutile production for the June quarter reached 175 300 t, up from the 125 300 t produced in the previous... →
Exploration trailblazer Orion cracks retail investor code with 14 000-plus SA backers
By: Martin Creamer 21st July 2021 More than 14 000 South Africans now own shares in the discovery and development mining company Orion Minerals, which is reflective of retail investment that can be stimulated in South Africa to support essential local minerals exploration. What is also extremely promising is that the dual listed... →
Mine achieves massive earnings boost after employing four more people
By: Martin Creamer 19th July 2021 Guided by a value driver tree (VDT) study, an opencast mine increased its earnings massively after employing four additional operators at comparatively negligible cost. The operation’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) soared hugely from $634.3-million to... →
Miners draw the short straw with govt assistance
By: Esmarie Iannucci 15th July 2021 The Productivity Commission’s latest Trade and Assistance Review has shown that Australian mining had received the least assistance during 2019-20 of all industries. The Australian industry received A$12.1-billion in government assistance during 2019-20, to help prevent job losses and maintain... →
Kenmare lifts production on back of strong ilmenite, titanium demand
By: Donna Slater 14th July 2021 LSE-listed titanium minerals and zircon producer Kenmare Resources produced 43% more heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) year-on-year during the first half of this year, at 798 500 t. HMC production was 436 600 t in the second quarter, representing a 41% increase compared with the corresponding... →
Life in mining-dependent countries significantly improved – ICMM
By: Martin Creamer 14th July 2021 Life in mining-dependent countries has improved significantly in the 23 years leading up to 2018, with strong governance the key to improving socio-economic well-being, the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) said on Wednesday. A report that analysed 41 social metrics grouped under... →
Caerus, Jubilee decide to start immediate pilot sampling programme
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 13th July 2021 London-listed firms Caerus Mineral Resources and Jubilee Metals Group have committed to an immediate pilot sampling and investigation programme guided by Jubilee’s protocols and delivered initially by Caerus staff in the coming weeks. This is being undertaken under the terms of a previously... →
Rio Tinto says RBM mine to remain closed as some concerns yet to be resolved
By: Marleny Arnoldi 12th July 2021 Diversified miner Rio Tinto’s South African subsidiary Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) has confirmed there are still “fundamental milestones” that must be met before its operations, in KwaZulu-Natal, can be resumed. This follows after the mineral sands mining company suspended operations on June... →
WA miners contributed A$83bn to economy in 2019/20 - survey
By: Esmarie Iannucci 12th July 2021 A new survey by the Chamber of Minerals and Energy (CME) for Western Australia has found that the state’s mining, oil and gas, energy and contractor industries contributed a direct A$83-billion to Australia’s economy in 2019-20 and directly provided more than 94 000 full-time jobs. The survey... →
RBM to resume operations, to reserve 50% of general worker jobs for community members
By: Yvonne Silaule 9th July 2021 Mineral sands miner Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) has agreed to reserve 50% of its currently available general worker jobs for members of the Sokhulu community. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala on July 8 said RBM would resume operations on July 12. →
Detection device useful in African exploration
By: Darren Parker 9th July 2021 German environmental technology company InterEnviroCon’s spectrometric device for the detection of rare-earth oxides is useful in African mining and exploration because it can be successfully operated by less qualified personnel while relaying detailed information for expert analysts. Samples... →
MRC raises funds for SA and Norwegian projects
By: Esmarie Iannucci 5th July 2021 ASX-listed Mineral Commodities (MRC) will raise A$10.6-million through a share placement and fully underwritten non-renounceable rights issue to fund work at its Tormin mineral sands project, in South Africa, and at its Skaland graphite operation, in Norway. The company said on Monday that it... →
Mining vital to economy, can help guide country's path – President
By: Martin Creamer 5th July 2021 Mining is vital to the South African economy and the opportunities that exist in mining can help guide the country’s path to a more inclusive and equitable economy, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated on Monday. Writing in his From the Desk of the President column, Ramaphosa placed mineral and... →
Manufacturer invests in autonomy research
By: Halima Frost 2nd July 2021 As part of a continuous effort to optimise payload and improve customers’ profit margins, while decreasing emissions and impact on the environment, South African earthmoving equipment provider Bell Equipment has invested heavily in research and development in its drive toward realising full... →
Trommels, feeders for surface mining available
By: Halima Frost 2nd July 2021 The MDS static and mobile trommels, as well as the apron feeders, of South Africa-based equipment supplier BLT World are compatible with the crushers, feeders, recycling and other screening plants in South African surface mining operations. “Our customers in the mining sector have shown a... →
Iron-ore drives Aus exports to record highs
By: Esmarie Iannucci 28th June 2021 New data from the Office of the Chief Economist has estimated that Australia’s resources and energy exports would reach a record A$310-billion in 2020-21, with nearly half of the earnings coming from iron-ore alone. Exports are expected to increase further to A$334-billion in 2021-22, before... →
Ukraine to auction titanium and zirconium miner in August
By: Reuters 22nd June 2021 Ukraine plans to auction Europe's largest titanium and zirconium miner, United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC), on August 31, the head of its state property fund said on Tuesday. If UMCC is sold, it will be the first successful privatisation auction of a large state-owned enterprise since a... →
Commodity price risk a top concern - KPMG
By: Esmarie Iannucci 22nd June 2021 A risk assessment for the Australian mining sector has placed commodity price risk as the major concern faced by miners, advisory firm KPMG said on Tuesday. In its latest Australian Mining Risk Forecast, KPMG Australia’s newly appointed head of mining, Nick Harridge said that the rise in demand... →
Greenland’s Dundas mine jumps final regulatory hurdle
By: Mariaan Webb 17th June 2021 The Dundas ilmenite project, in Greenland, has been received its final government-level approval required before construction can start, with the approval of its exploitation and closure plan. The government in December awarded an exploitation licence for the project, which London-listed Bluejay... →
300-plus vehicle fleets assessed for cleaner, safer mine mobility in five regions – ICMM
By: Martin Creamer 15th June 2021 As part of the cleaner, safer vehicles initiative of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), more than 300 vehicle fleets have been assessed for cleaner, safer mobility on more than 300 mines in five regions globally, ICMM health, safety and product stewardship director Sarah Bell... →
Allow geologists from surrounding African countries to boost SA's exploration rebirth, top explorer advises
By: Martin Creamer 11th June 2021 Exploration geologists from surrounding countries should be allowed into South Africa to boost exploration. That is the view of Exploration Geology Consultants exploration manager Thinus Jordaan, who believes that South Africa’s planned exploration thrust should focus on commodities required in... →
Mining firms with higher ESG ratings outperform market – PwC
By: Martin Creamer 8th June 2021 Mining companies with higher environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings outperformed the broader market during the peak of the Covid-19 crisis, delivering 34% average total shareholder return over the past three years — ten percentage points higher than the general market index, PwC... →
Latest News
Latest Videos
Company Announcements
Topics In These Articles
