Mining Weekly

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer unpacks the steps South Africa is taking to initiate first-mover green hydrogen project development; renewable energy on the rise for platinum, iron-ore and diamond mines; and South Africa losing out on the opportunity to produce clean hydrogen power and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs.  

The first megawatt-hours of green electricity have been successfully fed into South Africa’s national grid by a newly commissioned solar farm in Limpopo for supply  to a mining company in KwaZulu-Natal. The mine is Richards Bay Minerals, which is part of the Rio Tinto group, and the newly commissioned power plant is Bolobedu Solar Farm, which has been developed by international renewable energy company Voltalia and its empowerment partners.

ASX-listed Peninsula Energy has restarted uranium precipitation and yellowcake production at its Lance project in Wyoming, following the completion of rectification work on the central processing plant (CPP). The company announced on Thursday that the CPP was back in operation after replacement agitator assemblies were installed and commissioned in the precipitation circuit, restoring full functionality.

Strengthening transparency to reflect what natural resource extraction contributes towards improving lives and living is what the Johannesburg- and London-listed Gemfields mining company has implemented in Zambia, where it mines emeralds, and Mozambique, where it mines rubies. Gemfields, headed by CEO Sean Gilbertson, shares greater natural resource wealth openness and accountability through a metric called the G-Factor, which highlights – very accessibly – the extent to which that mine down the road is creating value in the community and the country.

Precious metals streaming and royalty company Triple Flag has achieved record revenue of $147-million in the first quarter of the year. The company recorded record quarterly sales of 31 166 gold equivalent ounces.

While responsible tailings management and effective land rehabilitation are increasingly recognised as important for environmental protection, public health and sustainable economic development, better and more streamlined implementation of regulatory frameworks and policies is needed to accelerate progress in South Africa. This was one of the topics discussed during Creamer Media’s Tailings webinar, held on April 8, during which industry experts discussed the evolution of tailings in the country and explored various themes such as regulatory, financial, technical and social barriers that may be slowing rehabilitation efforts across the country.

TSX-V-listed Pasofino Gold has garnered approval from the Supreme Court of British Columbia to proceed with a plan of arrangement by Mansa Resources, whereby Mansa will acquire through a subsidiary all the issued and outstanding share capital of Pasofino. The offer price of C$0.90 apiece will, once paid, result in Mansa holding 100% of Pasofino and the company delisting from the TSX.

Global commodity trading firm Trafigura said on Thursday it had signed an offtake deal with Heath Goldfields, a Ghana-owned mining company, to buy 700 000 oz of gold dore from the Bogoso–Prestea mine in western Ghana. "Alongside the offtake, Trafigura is providing $65-million in debt financing to support the restart of the mine's oxide ore operations," Trafigura said in a statement.

Dual-listed gold miner Resolute Mining has appointed human resources (HR) executive Gina Jardine as a nonexecutive director, effective from the conclusion of its annual general meeting on May 20. The appointment comes alongside the retirement of nonexecutive director Adrian Reynolds, who will step down from the board after serving since 2021.

Copper miner Sandfire Resources expects full-year production to land in the lower half of its guidance range, after operational challenges weighed on third-quarter performance. In a March quarter update released on Thursday ahead of its full quarterly report, Sandfire reported group copper-equivalent production of 34 500 t for the three months to March 31, taking year-to-date output to 106 500 t.

NYSE- and TSX-listed Barrick Mining Corporation has welcomed the Ontario Court of Appeal’s dismissal of an appeal having been made by certain Tanzanian residents alleging human rights abuses by the Tanzanian Police Force in the vicinity of the North Mara gold mine. Evidence filed during the case suggested that the Tanzanian Police Force acted independently of Barrick.

Zimbabwe will introduce lithium concentrate export quotas and require commitments for more local processing as part of conditions to allow the resumption of mineral exports, the mines ministry has told producers. Africa's top lithium producer suspended exports of lithium concentrates and other unprocessed minerals on February 26, after the government alleged malpractices and leakages.

In honour of World Diamond Day on April 8, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has revealed some of the world’s most famous and fascinating diamonds it has examined over the years. GIA helps to uncover the science, history and rarity behind diamonds that have captivated collectors, museums and the public for generations. It has since its establishment in 1931 been recognised as the world’s foremost authority in gemology and assesses more than four-million diamonds every year.

Africa-focused Predictive Discovery and Robex Resources will proceed with their proposed merger after all conditions precedent were satisfied or waived, paving the way for completion later this month. The companies announced on Wednesday that the transaction was unconditional, with implementation expected on or around April 15.

The Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture has agreed to further extend the date for the termination of Section 189 retrenchment consultations under way with workers at its ferrochrome smelters – this time to April 9. The revised timeframe follows an initial extension from March 31 to April 7 announced last week and was confirmed in a statement issued by JSE-listed Merafe.

Diversified mining major Anglo American and EDF have switched on more renewable energy in South Africa through their Envusa joint venture’s rapid back-to-back project execution model. The latest 140 MW Umsobomvu Wind Farm reached commercial operation date just weeks after Mooi Plaats Solar PV’s 240 MW brought 380 MW of the Koruson 2 cluster into commercial operation.

Members of the BRICS Plus trade bloc now hold over 6 000 t of gold, representing about 17.4% of total global central bank reserves, up from 11.2% in 2019, financial services group EBC Financial Group (EBC) reveals in a market note. Russia leads with 2 336 t, while China holds 2 298 t and India 880 t of gold. Together, Russia and China control about 74% of the bloc’s total gold holdings.

Fund management company Kholo Capital Mezzanine Debt Fund I (Kholo Capital) and privately held advisory firm Tensai Private Equity have provided R275-million in mezzanine debt funding to support the management buyout of Mpumalanga-based mining contractor Isambane Mining. The mezzanine funding package comprises R200-million provided by Kholo Capital and R75-million provided by Tensai. 

Aim-listed Kazera Global has appointed the company’s largest shareholder Richard Jennings executive director and interim CEO, with immediate effect. He is expected to remain interim CEO for six months. Dennis Edmonds has stepped down from the board and resigned as CEO. The board wished him well in his future endeavours.

West Africa-focused Robex Resources has reported a strong start to production at its Kiniero gold mine in Guinea, following the achievement of commercial production in February, with output building steadily during the first quarter of 2026. The company on Tuesday reported gold production of 39 367 oz for the three months to March 31, with 38 178 oz poured as the operation continues its ramp-up phase.