Sibanye donates R25m to Wits and UJ, to spend R325m on education and training this year

South African gold producer Sibanye Gold donated R25-million to the universities of Johannesburg (UJ) and Witwatersrand (Wits) towards mining and engineering education at an official handover... 

JSE resource listings plunge 50% in last 20 years but total market cap now a massive R2.82-trillion

Although the resource listings on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) has declined significantly over the last 20 years, from 130 listed mining companies in 1994 to only 66 basic resource... 

Platinum first as fuel cells power rural homes in Free State

JSE-listed platinum producer Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) and Canada-based Ballard Power Systems on Tuesday launched the world’s first platinum-using fuel cell mini-grid electrification field... 

Access to water, electricity key risk for local mining and metals companies

Although productivity has been identified as the top business risk facing mining and metals companies globally in advisory firm EY’s ‘Business risks facing mining and metals 2014/15’ report, access... 

SA company clinches orders to supply cage arrestors to Canadian mines

Local conveyance safety solutions provider Horne Group has been awarded orders for several Technogrid cage arrestors for use at mines in Canada. 

Papua New Guinea’s online mineral tenement management system goes live

The Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) of Papua New Guinea has gone live with the first phase of its mineral tenement management project. 

Joburg firm to complete supply of 3 730 m2 of grating to Impumelelo colliery this month

Johannesburg-based industrial grating and hand railing manufacturer Gridfast will this month complete the supply of 3 730 m2 of grating and 2 500 stair treads to coal miner Sasol Mining’s... 

Tanzania to upgrade mining cadastre information management system

The Tanzanian Ministry of Energy and Minerals, with funding from the World Bank’s International Development Association, has launched a project to upgrade their mining cadastre information... 

Urgent need for larger African power, water utilities as demand rises

Consultancy Frost & Sullivan’s African Utility Market Intelligence Report has highlighted an urgent need for power and water utilities to expand and improve their generation and distribution... 

Fingerprint sensors unaffected by grime and sweat

Fingerprint biometrics company Lumidigm’s V-Series fingerprint sensors are rugged and reliable, making them suited to use in the mining industry, where traditional fingerprint biometrics have a... 

R14bn set aside for expansion of iron-ore-dedicated Port of Saldanha

South Africa is the seventh-largest producer of iron-ore and having also traditionally been the fourth-largest exporter worldwide it remains well positioned to service global iron-ore demand owing... 

New course aimed at enhancing skills of community relations practitioners

Laws regulating the resettlement of communities for mining projects may be poorly defined and could result in delays to approvals that may affect the viability of operations or development... 

Shift to electronic blasting yields safety, efficiency benefits for miners

The evolution from fire setting in the Bronze Age to blasting using electronics in the modern era has yielded significant benefits for the mining industry, says explosives manufacturer and supplier... 

Anglo fund helps Western Cape residents put food on the table

The Chairman’s Fund, one of the dedicated instruments used by Anglo American to channel its corporate social investment, has formed a partnership with the nongovernmental organisation Soil for Life... 

Eskom to include emerging black coal miners in supply base

In line with State-owned power utility Eskom’s Coal Supply Strategy and Black Emerging Miner Strategy, the utility will integrate emerging black coal junior miners into its coal supply base to... 

Urgent need for power, water utilities as demand in Africa increases

Consultancy Frost & Sullivan’s African Utility Market Intelligence Report has highlighted an urgent need for power and water utilities to expand and improve their generation and distribution... 

New Minister has his work cut out for him as raft of issues require his attention

Newly appointed Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi has inherited a challenging portfolio from former Minister Susan Shabangu, with several critical issues that will have to be addressed... 

Lawyer decries proposed amendments to mine health, safety law

Law firm ENSafrica mine and occupational health and safety joint head Willem le Roux highlighted several proposed amendments to the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) No. 29 of 1996 that he believes... 

Exxaro to write down R5.36bn investment in Mayoko project

Diversified mining group Exxaro warned shareholders last month that it would write down its R5.36-billion investment in the Mayoko iron-ore project in the Republic of Congo (RoC). 

New Minister has his work cut out for him as raft of issues require his attention

Newly appointed Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi has inherited a challenging portfolio from former Minister Susan Shabangu, with several critical issues that will have to be addressed... 

Power-efficient LED lights yield huge cost savings for miners

Automotive components manufacturer and supplier Torre Automotive, previously known as Control Instruments-Automotive, says its Pitmaster light-emitting diode (LED) lights use between 60% and 90%... 

Govt commits to tackling youth unemployment

Enterprise development can help South Africa’s youth tackle the many obstacles to development including the lack of economic opportunities, jobs and skills development, as well as an education... 

Law firm says going into business rescue will help distressed miners avoid liquidation

Despite Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi’s statement that he is confident that a wage agreement between the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union and platinum producers... 

Africa not benefiting fully from mineral resources owing to skills shortage – academic

As Africa renews its efforts to improve mining’s developmental impact, the spotlight is increasingly shifting to the skills needed to manage the sector and the capacity of African educational... 

Exxaro to write down R5.36bn investment in Mayoko project

Diversified mining group Exxaro on Tuesday warned shareholders that it would write down its R5.36-billion investment in the Mayoko Iron Ore project in the Republic of Congo (RoC). After having... 

More holistic model needed if sustainability is to be hard-wired into mining

Mining operations, which are often located in sparsely populated and remote areas, can be a source of livelihood and wellbeing for many people. But sustaining the positive impacts and limiting the... 

New Africa Mining Fund in period of ‘transition’

The New Africa Mining Fund II (NAMF II), the second venture-capital fund administered by Africa-focused mining project equity fund New Africa Mining Fund, has resolved to discontinue seeking new... 

More holistic model needed if sustainability is to be hard-wired into mining

Mining operations, often located in sparsely populated and remote areas, are a source of livelihood and wellbeing for millions of people. The sustainability of the positive impacts that stem from... 

Contractor moving ahead with R330m Nchwaning mine projects

JSE-listed construction company Stefanutti Stocks started work last month on two projects awarded to it earlier in the year by ferrous-metals miner Assmang. The contracts have a combined value of... 

Besides labour, energy emerging as key future risk for platinum sector

While the crippling strike in the platinum sector in South Africa has brought attention to the labour costs of the industry, Pretoria-based nonprofit policy research institution Trade and... 

New CSMI head building ties with overseas centres of excellence

In her new role as director of the University of the Witwatersrand's (Wits') Centre for Sustainability in Mining and Industry (CSMI), Professor Caroline Digby is now actively involved in achieving... 

Kumba shines at tournament

Anglo American division, Kumba Iron Ore (Kumba) performed exceptionally well this year at the Inter Mines Group Associated Sports (IMGAS) Tournament, hosted by the iron-ore miner at Konka, in... 

Long-term iron-ore outlook not bleak despite slowing Chinese demand

Despite slowing demand from China, the long-term demand outlook for iron-ore was not bleak, global commodity industry pricing and market analysis firm CRU consultant Serafino Capoferri told... 

Junior iron-ore miners finding it difficult to get project finance owing to price uncertainty

The current iron-ore price uncertainty is a significant challenge for junior miners trying to obtain finance for their projects in Africa, International Finance Corporation (IFC) mining investment... 

Development of black junior coal sector now a matter of urgency

Securing sufficient thermal coal for State-owned power utility Eskom to keep the lights on going forward is vital in the face of what coal commentators refer to as a projected Eskom coal supply... 

SA coal miner one of firms using newly launched financial modelling software

Mining consultancy RungePincockMinarco’s (RPM’s) enterprise financial modelling system, XERAS for Enterprise, which was launched last month, is being implemented at coal miner Sasol Mining, in... 

RKA to install US giant’s software at local platinum mine

General Electric (GE) Intelligent Platforms, a unit of US multinational conglomerate corporation GE Energy, has partnered with RKA Consulting, the South Africa-based technical support, training and... 

Development of black junior coal sector now a matter of urgency as Eskom approaches ‘supply cliff’

Securing sufficient thermal coal for State-owned power utility Eskom to keep the lights on going forward is vital in the face of what coal commentators refer to as a projected Eskom coal supply... 

African iron-ore juniors face funding woes

The current iron-ore price uncertainty was a significant challenge for junior miners trying to obtain finance for their projects in Africa, International Finance Corporation (IFC) mining investment... 

Long-term iron-ore demand outlook not all doom and gloom

Despite slowing demand from China, the long-term demand outlook for iron-ore was not bleak, global commodity industry pricing and market analysis firm CRU consultant Serafino Capoferri told...