Mining Weekly

The mining industry must deepen trust with workers and host communities through sustained engagement, accountability and shared responsibility, speakers at the seventh annual Marikana Memorial Lecture said on August 18. Hosted virtually by socioeconomic healing and development initiative the Marikana Renewal Programme and JSE-listed mining and metals group Sibanye-Stillwater, the lecture marked the fourteenth anniversary of the Marikana tragedy, in which 34 men were killed by police during a violent labour dispute and wildcat strike on August 16, 2012.

The public comment phase for the much-anticipated revision to South Africa’s electricity pricing policy (EPP) has been initiated following Cabinet’s recent approval of the draft framework and amid growing affordability concerns. In a briefing on the proposed changes, Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa acknowledged the pressures being faced by households and businesses as a result of tariffs that had increased by over 900% since 2007.

The $5.8-billion green hydrogen-ammonia project in South Africa’s Nelson Mandela Bay has been a hard slog but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Mining Weekly can report the venture, for which a green-hydrogen-generating electrolyser and ammonia loop solution has already been selected, is “going really well” and developer Hive Hydrogen is expected to make “some very big announcements” at next month’s Africa Green Hydrogen Summit in Cape Town.

Australian multinational mining and metals company BHP achieved higher earnings, stronger cash flow and a materially stronger balance sheet for the year ended June 30, owing to a good operational performance, strong combined prices and tight cost control. “Full-year 2026 was a strong year for BHP. We delivered record iron-ore production and shipments at West Australia Iron Ore (WAIO), about two-million tonnes of copper for a second year running and a stronger result in coal.

Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe and Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo have conducted a joint oversight visit to ferrochrome and manganese producer Samancor’s Dikwena Chrome facility, in Brits, in the North West, following the structural collapse of a sidewall at the mine’s tailings facility that occurred on August 13. During the visit, the Ministers met with mine management, received a briefing on the operational dynamics surrounding the event and inspected the affected area to evaluate environmental impacts and infrastructure disruptions.

Glencore could leap into top market indices within six months of listing in Australia as fund managers' copper appetite may outweigh concerns over thermal coal exposure, analysts and investors said following briefings on the listing. Glencore, the world's largest thermal coal exporter, plans a secondary listing on the Australian Securities Exchange in October, aiming to tap one of the world's fastest-growing pools of institutional capital to fund its copper growth ambitions and potentially open the way for large-scale M&A.

Dwyka Labs, which is the innovation and training unit of Dwyka Mining Services, and Tharisa Minerals have jointly launched a Drone Academy at the latter’s Tharisa mine, in the North West province. The Drone Academy has an initial cohort of 20 trainees. The intent is that, after qualifying, they will be able to support mine survey and security operations and mine planning. The trainees were selected from the mine’s host communities, and will be assessed during the course in order to refine the future curriculum. The identification of talent for both current and future roles is an integral part of the programme.

As part of the social and labour plan (SLP) of its Matla mine, major South African mining group Exxaro has opened a R36-million sheep shearing and nutrient film technique hydroponics facility in the Cofimvaba area of the Eastern Cape. More specifically, the project would benefit the villages of EliXeni (where it is located), eThunzini and Ezingxingweni. “For Exxaro, impact is measured not only by what we extract from the ground, from solar and wind, but by what we help communities build beyond the surface for generations to come,” affirmed Exxaro CEO Ben Magara.

At a time when calls are being made for South Africa to modernise its mining sector, emerging researchers will on October 2 have a next-generation platform to explore the future of the minerals industry. The event is being hosted by South Africa’s State-owned mineral and metallurgical organisation, Mintek, whose science convention for innovators (SCI) event will assemble emerging researchers across themes such as critical minerals, energy and innovation, emerging technologies, sustainability and the circular economy.

South African platinum group metal (PGM) mine production recovered strongly in the first half of this year, although much of the improvement reflects normalisation from the weather-disrupted first half of 2025, global precious metals and materials company Heraeus Precious Metals’ latest precious appraisal shows. Heraeus points out that Statistics South Africa’s production index indicates that the country’s PGM mine supply was about 12% higher year-on-year in the first half of the year.

BMI, a Fitch Solutions company, has revised its lithium price forecasts for this year to $20 100/t for mainland Chinese lithium carbonate and $19 600/t for mainland Chinese lithium hydroxide monohydrate, reflecting sold upward price momentum sustained throughout the first half of the year. The company notes that while it expects lithium prices to drift lower in the second half of the year, robust energy storage demand is likely to keep prices from dropping much lower and prevent any big market crashes.

ASX-listed Resolute Mining and Nimba Mining Gold (NMG) – an affiliate of Guinea State-owned mining group Nimba Mining Company (NMC) – have jointly signed the articles of association of Landaya Gold, their joint venture (JV), which will take forward the development of gold projects in Guinea. The articles of association were signed by Patrice L’Huillier, representative of NMG, and by Karl Akueson, VP growth for Resolute Mining. Incorporation of the JV company is being finalised with the relevant authorities.

The 16 Southern African Development Community countries, with a combined population of nearly 400-million people, have abundant natural resources, a youthful population and the means to produce everything that its people need, says South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. SADC needs to create a dynamic common market in which countries trade. No country in the region can build an integrated power system, develop cross-border corridors, manage shared water resources or withstand the full force of climate change on its own. “We need to remove the costs that we have imposed on ourselves, from reducing the price of phone calls and money transfers to reducing waiting times at our borders and harmonising customs procedures. However, this must not be limited to only increasing trade with each other. “We must produce goods and services together. We must assemble cars in one SADC country from parts manufactured in another, using materials produced in a third,” he states in a weekly letter to the nation.

Thermal coal producer and exporter Thungela Resources delivered an improved performance in the first half of this year, despite difficult market conditions and a stronger rand weighing on export benefits, CEO Moses Madondo said on August 17. During a conference call to discuss the company’s interim results of the six months ended June 30, he highlighted a continued focus on maintaining safe operations, driving operational excellence and applying a disciplined approach to capital allocation underpinning this performance.  

Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busisiwe Mavuso – who has had an ongoing public disagreement with Eskom’s chairperson Mteto Nyati over the creation, with the transmission assets, of an independent Transmission System Operator – says she does not have confidence that the current Eskom leadership is committed to government’s reforms. Writing in her weekly newsletter, Mavuso slammed those who she described as “reform resisters”, taking particular aim at the Eskom board’s current approach to the unbundling of the TSO, as well as the National Union of Mineworkers’ legal challenge to the restructuring. “I do not have confidence that the current Eskom leadership is genuinely committed to the success of these reforms,” she writes, arguing that the board continued to foreground obstacles rather than solutions.

South African rail services provider Traxtion is positioning itself to profit from a regional mineral boom and sweeping reforms across the continent that are opening up freight rail networks to private firms, CEO James Holley said on Friday. Traxtion, one of Africa's largest private freight rail operators, announced a R3.4-billion rolling stock investment programme in December to expand its capacity and support rail reform in a region that exports critical minerals including copper and lithium.

Specialist alloy producer Afarak Group’s revenue decreased by 25.9% year-on-year to €57.1-million for the six months to June 30. Processed material sold decreased by 25.9% year-on-year to 11 372 t, while tonnage mined decreased by 12.8% to 130 256 t.

Demand for critical energy transition minerals, including cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, manganese, nickel, platinum group metals (PGMs) and rare earth elements, could more than triple by 2030 under net-zero scenarios and Africa holds about 30% of the global reserves of critical energy transition minerals. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is a testing ground for Africa’s strategic resolve to reshape its future through deliberate choices, while avoiding dependency and driving transformation, says UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) executive secretary Claver Gatete.

Toronto- and Johannesburg-listed Eastern Platinum’s (Eastplats’) net loss widened to $6.1-million, or a loss of $0.03 a share, for the second quarter ended June 30, compared with the net loss s of $1.8-million, or $0.01 a share, reported for the second quarter of 2025. The company attributes the widened net loss to lower overall sales and higher production costs incurred at the Crocodile River mine (CRM) platinum group metals operation, in South Africa's North West province.

The metals complex has remained well-supported so far this month, extending the upward momentum from late June, BMI, a Fitch Solutions company, points out. It explains that this is underpinned by a weaker dollar, receding rate hike expectations and improved risk appetite triggered by the reportedly imminent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside mounting supply tightness concerns, with the Bloomberg Industrial Metals Index having risen by 10.6% in the year-to-date and 2.4% month-to-date up to August 12.