S&P Expects Sub-Saharan Africa’s Growth to Remain Stable Despite Global Headwinds
S&P Global Market Intelligence projects sub‑Saharan Africa will grow 4.1% in 2026 and 3.8% in 2027, outpacing the revised global growth forecast of 2.4%. The outlook rests on strong demand for critical minerals and rare earths, higher oil prices benefiting exporters such as Angola, Nigeria and Congo, and a surge in rail and port infrastructure. While diesel shortages and tourism weakness pose near‑term headwinds, the region’s PMI remains robust, suggesting resilience amid global supply‑chain disruptions. Risks linger from El Niño, inflation and consumer pressure in 2027.
Eleven Private Train Operators Gear up for Mainline Entry After Concluding Access Agreements
Eleven private train operating companies have finalized rail access agreements with Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager, securing slots on South Africa's mainline network. The operators are expected to contribute an additional 24 million tonnes of freight capacity across key commodities. Operations are...
Policy Frictions, Trade Disruptions Shape Metal Flows – Report
Heraeus' May 11 “Precious Appraisal” report highlights how lingering US‑Iran tensions and trade frictions are driving volatility in precious‑metal markets, with gold up 2.7% and silver up 5.1% as Brent crude fell 6.2% and the S&P 500 rose 1%. In India, gold...
Masterclass Unpacks Global Mining Waste Opportunity
The mining sector faces a $3.4 trillion opportunity as historic tailings and waste rock contain vast amounts of unrecovered metals. Declining ore grades and soaring demand for critical minerals are pushing firms to view waste as secondary ore bodies. South Africa...
Successful Karowe Financing Strategy Ensures ‘Transformational’ Quarter for Lucara
Lucara Diamond Corp. closed a multi‑tranche equity and bond financing that underwrites the $779 million Karowe underground project, calling the first quarter “transformational.” Revenue fell to $21.8 million while operating costs held at $24.74 per tonne, reflecting a shift to stockpile processing...
Gold Fields Lists 'Significant’ Price Increases Caused by US-Iran War
Gold Fields reported a sharp rise in mining costs during Q1 2026, with all‑in sustaining costs (AISC) up 13% to $1,829 per ounce and all‑in costs (AIC) up 10% to $2,046 per ounce. The increases stem from higher diesel, explosive,...
Ivanhoe Swings to a First-Quarter Loss on DRC Tax Settlement; Increases Full-Year Exploration Spend
Ivanhoe Mines posted a $2 million net loss and a $35 million comprehensive loss for Q1 2026, driven by a $42 million share of loss from its Kamoa Holding JV after a $183 million tax settlement in the DRC. The quarter also saw a...
Jubilee’s Nine-Month Copper Output up 28.7% Y/Y
Jubilee Metals reported a 28.7% year‑on‑year rise in nine‑month copper production, reaching 2,177 t. The Roan concentrator surged 112.7% to 1,999 t, while the Sable refinery lifted output to 957 t. Expansion work at Roan’s de‑watering circuit is now 75% complete, and the...
New Directors Appointed as KDG Subsidiary Becomes MC Mining’s Controlling Shareholder
Kinetic Development Group’s SPV Kinetic Crest has taken a 51% controlling stake in MC Mining after a $90 million share subscription. The capital is earmarked for the Makhado project, which is now in advanced construction and moving toward commissioning. MC Mining...
As Costs Drop, Hydrogen Energy Options Are Being Grasped Globally
China is rapidly scaling its hydrogen ecosystem, targeting 100,000 fuel‑cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) by 2030 and driving end‑user hydrogen prices below $3.50 per kilogram. Lhyfe reported delivering 700 hydrogen trucks and buses in December 2025, with 1,400 additional orders, while expanding...
Consultancy Unpacks Why Gold Prices Are Trending Lower Despite High Demand
Gold prices have slipped toward $4,626 even as global demand hits record levels, a divergence that analyst Rania Gule attributes to rising U.S. real yields and a tight monetary stance. Higher rates boost the dollar and increase the cost of...
Glencore's Weak First-Quarter Coal Output Offset by Higher Copper Production
Glencore reported a 22% year‑on‑year decline in steelmaking coal output to 6.5 million tonnes in Q1, driven by sequencing at Canada’s Elk Valley and weather‑related cuts in Australia. Energy coal fell only 2% as higher Australian production offset reduced output at...
Hydrogen Progress Is Real, International Energy Agency Reports
The International Energy Agency (IEA) declared that hydrogen progress is now tangible, likening its adoption curve to early solar PV growth. Accelerated investment is evident across China’s five‑year plan and Europe’s hydrogen strategies, highlighted by a 200 MW plant whose storage...
Envusa Energy Confirms Supply of Renewable Energy to Key Mines
Envusa Energy, a joint venture between Anglo American and EDF Power Solutions, inaugurated its 520 MW Koruson 2 (K2) renewable‑energy cluster in South Africa, connecting 380 MW of solar and wind power to more than ten mining sites. The R15 billion (~$790 million) investment includes the...
Sustainability Remains Integral Sibanye-Stillwater Strategy, Long-Term Value Creator
Sibanye‑Stillwater’s 2025 Report Suite shows sustainability is core to its strategy, delivering renewable‑energy contracts, water independence and social investment. The company expects 765 MW of renewable power to cut energy costs by about R1 billion ($52 million) annually from 2028 and lower emissions...
Illegal Mining More than Just a Law Enforcement Issue, Research Fellow Says
University of South Africa researcher Dr. Kennedy Manduna presented a nuanced view of South Africa’s illegal mining sector, arguing that “zama zamas” act as both victims of systemic poverty and perpetrators of violence. He highlighted structural unemployment, deindustrialisation and migration...
BMI Revises Lithium Price Forecast Upwards Amid Tightening Supply
BMI, a Fitch Solutions firm, raised its 2026 average lithium price outlook to $17,000 per tonne for mainland Chinese lithium carbonate and $16,700 per tonne for lithium‑hydroxide, reflecting tighter supply and stronger demand signals. Year‑to‑date prices have already surged to...
How Mining Companies Are Innovating to Address Sustainable Tailings Management
South African miners are accelerating sustainable tailings management as gold output drops 32% and underground mining becomes uneconomic. DRDGOLD’s Ergo operation now treats roughly 1.7 million tonnes of tailings annually, integrating real‑time leak detection, SCADA monitoring, and concurrent land‑rehabilitation. Panelists at...
Resolute on Track to Meet Full-Year Guidance
Resolute Mining posted a strong first‑quarter, generating $119.8 million of operating cash flow and lifting its net cash balance to $315.4 million. Gold production reached 59,603 ounces, with all‑in sustaining costs of $2,210 per ounce in line with guidance. Capital spending of $33.4 million...
SMM Breaks Ground on Western Cape Monazite Plant
Steenkampskraal monazite mine (SMM) has broken ground on a new processing plant in South Africa’s Western Cape, targeting a steady‑state output of 13,400 tonnes per year of monazite concentrate with over 50% total rare‑earth oxides (TREO). The plant will initially...
Hydrogen Enables Energy Storage Way Beyond Batteries, Nel Emphasises
Nel ASA CEO Håkon Volldal highlighted hydrogen’s ability to store energy far beyond battery limits, citing a 200 MW U.S. plant that eclipses the combined capacity of all grid‑linked batteries in the United States. He announced a new purchase order for...
New Policy Paper to Offer ‘Single Window’ Into South Africa’s Electricity Reform Agenda
South Africa’s Electricity and Energy Ministry is finalising a policy paper that will serve as a single‑window overview of the nation’s electricity‑reform agenda. The document, slated for Cabinet review within weeks and a subsequent public comment period, will set a...
Gold Remains a Safe-Haven Investment – Heraeus
Gold’s safe‑haven status faced volatility in early 2026 as prices dropped following the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict, breaking key moving averages before rebounding after a cease‑fire announcement. Heraeus’ Precious Appraisal highlights an 11% increase in gold exploration spending to $6.15 bn, while noting...
PGM Price Underpin by Investment, Speculation Expected to Persist – Sibanye-Stillwater
Sibanye‑Stillwater warned that investment and speculation will continue to underpin platinum‑group‑metal (PGM) prices as macro‑level uncertainty persists. The company projects primary platinum output to fall from 6.2 million ounces in 2019 to 4.7 million ounces by 2034, with palladium supply slipping to...
Breakthrough Positions Chrome as Key Revenue Driver for Southern Palladium
Southern Palladium announced that metallurgical test work at its Bengwenyama UG2 deposit has lifted chrome recoveries to 65%, more than double the 30% assumed in its earlier prefeasibility study. The higher recovery translates to roughly 350,000 tonnes of chrome concentrate...
Heraeus, Sibanye-Stillwater Partner on Palladium-Based Glass Fibre Tech
Heraeus Precious Metals and Sibanye‑Stillwater have launched a two‑year joint R&D program to create palladium‑based glass‑fibre bushings using Heraeus’ dispersion‑hardening (DPH) technology. The effort aims to replace costly platinum bushings with cost‑efficient palladium alloys for E‑glass fibres used in reinforced...
PGMs, China’s Stockpiling Spur Mining Production Leap, Minerals Council Reports
South Africa’s mining sector posted a 9.7% year‑on‑year production rise in February 2026, propelled by a 52.3% surge in platinum‑group metals (PGMs) and Chinese stockpiling of chrome and manganese. Total mineral sales jumped 58.3% YoY to R78.6 billion (≈$4.1 billion), led by...
China's Gold Market Importance Probably Growing, Says Precious Metals Analyst
Precious‑metals analyst Jeffrey Christian says China’s role in the gold market is expanding, mirroring its broader economic rise. Record gold prices are driven by a surge in investment demand, with investors buying roughly 55 million ounces in 2025, while central banks...
PTM Mulling Partnerships with Furnace Operators to Process Waterberg Concentrate
Platinum Group Metals (PTM) is evaluating collaborations with smaller South African furnace operators to process concentrate from its Waterberg project in the Bushveld Complex. The company may stage smelting capacity, beginning with T‑Zone mining before expanding to the larger F‑Central...
Investors Increasingly Influenced by Industrial Policy and Technology Prowess, Amid ...
Management consultancy Kearney’s 2026 Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index shows that despite heightened geopolitical tension, 88% of surveyed firms intend to raise FDI over the next three years. Industrial policy now ranks as a decisive factor, with 84% of investors...
Eskom Confident of Meeting Winter Demand, Minerals Council South Africa Indicates
Eskom says it can meet South Africa’s winter electricity demand, even though its energy‑availability factor slipped to 66.8% in March, below the 68% target. The utility still holds over 4,000 MW of dispatchable reserve and has reduced unplanned outages to 9,201 MW...
KwaZulu-Natal Mineral Sands Mine Powered by New Limpopo Solar Plant
A 148 MW Bolobedu Solar Farm, built by Voltia and local empowerment partners, has begun feeding green electricity into South Africa’s grid to power Rio Tinto’s Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) in KwaZulu‑Natal. The plant will slash RBM’s baseline emissions by at...
Panellists Emphasise Importance of Policy Implementation for Effective Tailings Management, ...
South Africa’s mining sector convened a Creamer Media webinar on 8 April to address gaps between robust tailings regulations and their on‑ground implementation. Panelists highlighted the urgent need for closure certificates and faster authorisation processes, noting that the Department of Mineral...
More Renewable Power for South Africa’s Platinum, Iron-Ore, Diamond Mines
Anglo American and EDF, through their Envusa joint venture, have brought 380 MW of renewable capacity online in South Africa with the Umsobomvu wind farm and Mooi Plaats solar project, and a third 140 MW wind farm, Hartebeesthoek, is slated for June...
BRICS Plus Countries Increase Gold Reserves to More than 6 000 T
BRICS Plus nations now hold over 6,000 t of gold, representing roughly 17.4% of global central‑bank reserves, up from 11.2% in 2019. Russia (2,336 t) and China (2,298 t) together account for about 74% of the bloc’s holdings, while India adds 880 t. In the...
Future of Matla Mine, Power Station Secured as Exxaro, Eskom Ink CSA to 2043
Exxaro Resources and state utility Eskom have signed a new coal supply agreement that extends the delivery of Matla mine coal to the Matla power station through November 2043, renewing a partnership that began in 1983. The contract is a...
South Africa’s State-Owned IDC to Convert Orion Loan Into Equity
South Africa’s state‑owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has converted its convertible loan into equity, taking a 23.8% stake in Orion Minerals’ PCZM HoldCo and retaining a roughly $14 million shareholder loan. The move gives IDC an effective 16.7% interest in the...
CSIR, Eskom, SANEDI, Coaltech Launch HELE CFB Localisation Programme
South Africa’s CSIR, Eskom, SANEDI and Coaltech have launched Phase 1 of a High‑Efficiency Low‑Emission (HELE) circulating fluidised bed (CFB) localisation programme, aligning with the Integrated Resource Plan 2025. The initiative will assess feasibility, design engineering and regulatory pathways for a pilot‑scale...
Guinea’s Simandou to Become Largest Driver of Seaborne Iron-Ore Supply Growth – WoodMac
Wood Mackenzie projects Guinea’s Simandou mine to become the leading driver of seaborne iron‑ore supply growth, targeting about 16 million tonnes of exports in 2026 with a phased ramp‑up thereafter. After two decades of delay, the project entered execution following Guinea’s...
Kamoa-Kakula Output Guidance for 2026, 2027 Lowered; Output to Reach Above 500 000 T From 2028
Ivanhoe Mines has revised its Kamoa‑Kakula copper output guidance, lowering 2026 production to 290,000‑330,000 tonnes and 2027 to 380,000‑420,000 tonnes of copper anodes. The downgrade reflects a more conservative mine design and the impact of 2025 seismic flooding that delayed...
Proudly South African Drill Rigs without Human Intervention on Way
South Africa’s Master Drilling reported a record $292 million revenue and a near‑billion‑dollar 2026 order book, driven by its raise‑boring business which accounts for over 80% of sales. The company announced the development of fully autonomous raise‑boring rigs, targeting deployment before...
Hydrogen Set to Be Broad Demand, Strong Growth Sector, Valterra Platinum Highlights
South Africa’s Valterra Platinum says platinum‑group metals are critical catalysts for the expanding hydrogen economy, which is seeing strong global growth despite short‑term challenges. The company highlighted the role of PGMs in fuel‑cell trucks, electrolyzers and green‑hydrogen projects, while noting...
Ferroglobe May Halt Operations if Not Afforded Reduced Electricity Tariffs
Ferroglobe South Africa warned it could shut all smelters if reduced electricity tariffs are not secured by 1 April. Electricity costs have surged more than 900% since 2007, now exceeding 50% of production expenses and eroding profitability. CEO Marco Levi said...
Minerals Council CEO Reiterates Need for Coordinated Cross-Govt Policy Environment
Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane urged a coordinated cross‑government policy framework and a revival of exploration confidence to meet soaring global demand for energy metals. He highlighted South Africa’s declining mining output—11 % lower than in 1994 and a...
Global Rollout of Hydrogen Buses Advancing, World Platinum Reports
The World Platinum Investment Council reports accelerating global rollout of platinum‑based hydrogen fuel‑cell buses. New Flyer has secured 500 fuel‑cell engines (50 MW) for its Xcelsior CHARGE FC buses, while Portugal’s CaetanoBus is delivering 12 buses and building green‑hydrogen production and...
Middle East Crisis Underlining Relevance of Supply Strength of South Africa’s Omnia
Omnia, a Johannesburg‑listed group, is leveraging its extensive ammonia‑based emulsion, explosives and fertilizer capabilities to shield South African mines and farms from the current Middle‑East supply‑chain shock. The company runs 200 dedicated rail tankers and large storage assets, giving it...
Panel Mulls Solutions to Better Coordinate Gas Development in South Africa
A panel of South African gas experts warned that the country’s gas development process is fragmented, jeopardizing the transition to reliable baseload power as renewable capacity expands. They highlighted the imminent "gas cliff" for industrial users and stressed the need...
Mintek’s Drive to Clean, Recover and Reuse Every Drop of Water
South Africa’s research agency Mintek has made water treatment a strategic priority, launching advanced technologies to tackle acid‑mine drainage and contaminated wastewater from the mining sector. Pilot projects such as the SAVMIN process in Randfontein, the cloSURE biological system in...
Glencore Merafe Confirms Counter Proposal to Eskom’s ‘Unworkable’ 62c/kWh Conditions
Glencore Merafe has lodged a final counter‑proposal to Eskom over the utility’s 62 c/kWh (≈ $0.03/kWh) tariff, labeling the attached conditions as commercially unworkable. The venture highlighted that the proposed five‑year contract, dividend restrictions, and take‑or‑pay clauses would jeopardise the viability of...
More Steps Being Taken to Advance Promising South African Uranium/Gold Endowment
Neo Energy Metals announced negotiations with Sibanye‑Stillwater to obtain unrestricted access to the New Beisa Complex, a combined uranium‑gold site in South Africa’s Free State and Northern Cape. The company aims to restart mining at the former Beatrix 4 shaft and target...