AECI appoints Miller as mining EVP

JSE-listed chemicals group AECI has appointed Stuart Miller executive VP: mining, effective September 16. Miller has held various influential leadership roles across international mining... 

Mkango signs mutually beneficial mining agreement with Malawi govt

Aim- and TSX-V-listed Mkango Resources and two of its subsidiaries have signed a mining development agreement (MDA) with the Mawali government for the Songwe Hill rare earths project. The... 

Osino awaits Namibian competition approval to proceed with takeover by Chinese miner

Communications between Canadian miner Osino and the Namibian Competition Commission (NCC) continue to progress positively as the NCC considers the application of the previously announced statutory... 

Pathfinder completes reverse takeover of Rome Resources

London-listed Pathfinder Minerals has completed the reverse takeover of Canada-based exploration company Rome Resources, which owns tin projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As a... 

Steenhuisen urges G20 members to collaborate on policies alleviating food insecurity

In addressing delegates of a ministerial meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) Task Force, in Brazil, this week on behalf of South Africa, newly elected Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen... 

Orion raises A$3.6m through share purchase plan

ASX- and JSE-listed Orion Minerals has raised A$3.6-million, or R44-million, through a share purchase plan (SPP) that closed on July 23. Under the SPP, each eligible shareholder was entitled to... 

Macpherson asks DBSA for bi-weekly updates on National Assembly reconstruction

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has instructed the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) to provide his office with bi-weekly updates on the progress of the National... 

Ramokgopa warns of distribution infrastructure challenges, plans more renewables rounds

Despite Eskom having made progress on improving the country’s energy availability factor (EAF), lowering the unplanned capacity loss factor (UCLF) and achieving 100 consecutive days without... 

Lucapa concludes special tender worth $12m

ASX-listed Lucapa Diamond Company has sold six diamonds recovered from the Lulo mine, in Angola, in a special tender for $12.4-million. The diamonds totalled 447 ct and consisted of five white... 

Lotus hits highest-grade intercept at Letlhakane yet

ASX-listed Lotus Resources has intersected more uranium mineralisation at the Letlhakane project in Botswana, it confirms in its latest results from 24 holes drilled on site. The company has,... 

Competition Commission absolves Mpact from alleged anticompetitive conduct

JSE-listed paper and packaging group Mpact has announced the resolution of a Competition Commission matter pertaining to alleged anticompetitive conduct between itself and another company, which... 

Another Quantum shareholder demands meeting to remove chairperson

JSE-listed Quantum Foods has advised that Country Bird Holdings (CBH), which holds an 18% stake in the company, has demanded that a shareholder meeting be convened to discuss the proposed removal... 

Uasa inks three-year wage agreement with Samancor

Trade union Uasa has concluded another successful wage agreement, this time with chrome miner Samancor. The union signed a three-year wage agreement on behalf of its members and all workers... 

Centamin declares 53% interim dividend payout ratio

London- and Toronto-listed gold miner Centamin has declared an interim dividend of $0.025 a share for the six months ended June 30, resulting in a total distribution of $26-million, which... 

Sovereign confirms viability of low-cost mining at Kasiya graphite project

ASX-listed Sovereign Metals has successfully completed a dry mining trial at the Kasiya rutile and graphite project, in Malawi. The trial involved a test pit excavation for pilot mining and a... 

Balwin launches dedicated apartment rental portfolio

JSE-listed Balwin Properties has announced plans to develop 7 300 rental apartments over the next eight to ten years, which marks the launch of its rental portfolio. Currently, the company is... 

Orange export expectations drop lower as severe weather threatens volumes

The Citrus Growers’ Association of Southern Africa’s (CGA’s) Orange Focus Group (OFG) has revised its forecast export figures for Navel and Valencia oranges further downward owing to extreme... 

Panellists have mixed views on sustainability of renewable-energy financing

Independent power producer (IPP) developers are currently generating lower returns on renewable-energy projects at about 11%, making it challenging for banks and institutions to provide finance,... 

Speakers stress importance of coal as an energy source, warn of unfair pressure on developing countries

With coal consumption having increased by 11% since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015 and the commodity being a mainstay for many countries’ energy mixes, including Australia and India,... 

Sasol reports improvements across the energy segments, but volatility remains

Petrochemicals giant Sasol has reported a 3% year-on-year increase in mining productivity for the 2024 financial year ended June 30, with productivity of 983 tons per continuous miner per shift... 

China, South Africa still driving chrome supply globally

In unpacking production and export figures for chrome and ferrochrome in 2023 and the first quarter of this year, the International Chromium Development Association (ICDA) has confirmed that China... 

Orion announces last call for shareholders to participate in SPP

ASX- and JSE-listed Orion Minerals has reminded shareholders based in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, the Netherlands, Jersey, the UK, Mauritius and Singapore to buy shares under a... 

Anglo sells gold, iron-ore royalties to Australian fund manager

Diversified miner Anglo American has signed a definitive agreement to sell two royalties to Taurus Funds Management for up to $195-million in cash. The transaction comprises an upfront cash... 

Heatwaves driving strong growth in electricity demand – IEA

Energy demand growth is forecast to be among the highest levels this year and next, compared with the last two decades, the International Energy Agency (IEA) notes in its ‘Electricity Mid-Year... 

Mondi launches tender for solar power at Richards Bay plant

Paper products manufacturer Mondi’s Richards Bay mill has issued a request for proposals for independent power producers to design, build, own and maintain solar PV power plants of up to 10 MW at... 

De Beers hosts actress Lupita Nyong’o at its Venetia mine

Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has visited De Beers’ Venetia diamond mine, in Limpopo. As a De Beers global ambassador, she was shown how each facet of the production value chain... 

Uasa signs one-year wage agreement in sugar sector

Trade union Uasa has signed a one-year wage agreement with the Sugar Manufacturing and Refining Employers Association (Samrea), on behalf of members in the sugar sector. The agreement, which is... 

Analysts predict gold to trade at average $2 547/oz in the second half

Independent previous metals authority London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) has cited analysts predicting that the gold price will trade even higher in the second half of the year, following a... 

Agri SA welcomes agri budget, but suggests more accountability with grants

Industry body Agri SA welcomes Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s budget allocation dedicated to strengthening the agriculture sector, particularly through supporting smallholder farmers and... 

Standard Bank assesses the impact of elections on capital markets globally

With 49% of the world’s population having voted in elections this year, experts gathered by Standard Bank have unpacked whether this has an effect on capital markets and investor sentiment... 

Capital posts solid growth in second-quarter revenue

London-listed mining services company Capital has posted a 16.6% year-on-year increase in revenue to just under $90-million for the quarter ended June 30. The revenue generated in the quarter... 

BMI sees monetary policy easing globally, but high inflation persists in some regions

In considering the accuracy of the economic and political risk predictions that were made at the end of 2023 for the new year, BMI’s sub-Saharan Africa Country Risk team has found that most of the... 

Uasa, Petra Diamonds sign five-year wage agreement for Cullinan mine

Trade union Uasa has signed a five-year wage agreement with the management of the Cullinan mine, which is owned by London-listed Petra Diamonds. The agreement is effective from July 1 this year... 

Agbiz encouraged by Steenhuisen’s commitment to advancing industry master plan

Industry body the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) has described Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s maiden Budget Vote speech to be “valuable and focused on relentless... 

Survey confirms farmers remain innovative during crisis periods

A survey conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) finds that more than two-thirds of local agribusinesses managed to implement innovative activities between 2019 and 2021, despite... 

UFS works with council, govt to support more ‘climate smart’ research

The University of the Free State (UFS) has, together with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and the Department of Agriculture established four new research chairs within the Faculty of... 

Predictive advances promising targets around main deposit area of its Bankan project

ASX-listed Predictive Discovery has announced more solid results from infill drilling at the BC deposit of its Bankan gold project, in Guinea, which should allow the company to upgrade some of its... 

Sibanye features on FTSE4Good index for the ninth consecutive year

JSE- and NYSE-listed miner Sibanye-Stillwater has once again made it onto British financial organisation the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) Russell Group’s sustainability index. The... 

Consortium receives maiden vessel at Port of Lobito as concession takes shape

The Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) consortium has received the first vessel at the Port of Lobito’s mineral terminal, marking the start of the group’s port operations in Angola. LAR is the... 

Blencowe receives another $500 000 tranche in US grant funding

London-listed Blencowe Resources has received a fourth tranche of funding worth $500 000 from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), which is the US government’s private sector...