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Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer discusses mining as the major job creator in the second quarter of this year, when overall employment fell; the smooth in executive succession at Sibanye-Stillwater; and, the president and CEO of Barrick, Dr Mark Bristow, stepping down from his

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. South Africa's mining industry defied the national trend in the second quarter of this year when it created more quarter-on-quarter jobs at a time when overall South African employment fell, underscoring mining's resilience amid broader economic pressures. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, mining added 2 000 second-quarter jobs, with formal mining employment as of June 30 this year reaching the 468 000 mark compared with 466 000 at the end of March. Over the same period, total non-agriculture employment averaged 10 509 000 in the second quarter of 2025, a decline of 80 000 compared with the previous quarter. Moreover, there was a drop of 229 000 jobs when year-on-year jobs to June 2024 are compared with the employment position as of June 2025. Looking ahead, Minerals Council South Africa reports that, in the short term to medium term, the South African economy's ability to retain and sustain jobs will depend on trade negotiations, while in the long-term there is need for policymakers in South Africa to address the structural constraints including a predictable and investible operating environment. The council adds that reforms in the network industries continue to be 'baseline' reforms aimed at recouping lost inefficiencies. For example, Eskom has yet to reach the electricity generation levels it achieved in 2019. The same with Transnet. More still needs to be done to attract investment and create additional employment opportunities. Focusing on year-on-year formal employment performance, five of the eight sectors represented in the quarterly estimates shed jobs with the community services sector losing 225 000 jobs, followed by manufacturing (-18 000), mining (-6 000), transport (-3 000) and trade (-1 000). Employment increases were experienced in electricity (+1 000) and the business (+23 000) sectors in the year-on-year review period. The quarter-on-quarter employment increase is attributable to jobs added by platinum group metals, gold, chrome and coal mining. "To understand the dynamics of wage growth and labour productivity, it is essential to examine earnings data. The relevance of this data lies in its ability to reveal trends in wages' growth and labour productivity. "If we compare real gross earnings in mining with labour productivity there was a 'decoupling', starting in the last quarter of 2021. "Growth in real gross earnings is faster than labour productivity. Mining employees are getting paid more relative to the value they produce. Among others, this is an indication of a highly unionised workforce which can negotiate relatively higher wage increases. "There is also an ominous side to it. This mismatch can lead to inflationary pressures, profit margin compression and a reduction in global competitiveness of the South African mining sector. "Evidence of this phenomenon can be seen in the performance of gross operating surplus (a proxy for profits) in the mining sector. Gross operating surplus has not only been volatile, but growth has predominantly been negative post-Covid," the Minerals Council states in a release to Mining Weekly. On another note, total economy-wide employee remuneration - viewed from the lens of basic salaries and wages - indicates a quarter-on-quarter increase of 2.5% to R902.8-billion in the second quarter of 2025. On a year-on-year basis, an increase of 3.6% in basic salaries and wages was recorded. Gross earnings for the total economy, which include bonus and overtime payments, increased by 0.2% quarter-on-quarter and 3.4% year-on-year to a record R986.8-billion in the second quarter of this year. Quarter-on-quarter growth in gross mining sector earnings was 2.2% higher than the rest of the economy. However, year-on-year growth at 2.9% was lower than the rest of the econom...

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. The position of CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater is now officially taken up by Dr Richard Stewart, effective from Wednesday October 1, when former Public Investment Corporation (PIC) head of listed equities Mduduzi Bhulose also assumed office as executive VP business development - a position Stewart once held. Since joining Sibanye-Stillwater in 2014, Stewart has contributed to the significant group growth of the Johannesburg- and New York-listed platinum, gold and green metals mining company and Bhulose has more than two decades of experience in the investment and mining industries, having held various roles at South Africa's State-owned PIC, Anglo American, Rand Merchant Bank and the Ukhozi Group. Stewart, 49, a doctor of geology from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), previously served as chief regional officer: Southern Africa from May 2022, following his tenure as group COO from December 2020. Prior to these roles, Stewart was Sibanye-Stillwater's executive VP business development and has more than a quarter century of experience in South Africa's geological and mining industries. The appointment of Bhulose is described in a release to Mining Weekly as one that will support Sibanye-Stillwater's continued focus on value creation across the portfolio, as well as strategic partnerships, and disciplined growth. Mining engineer Bhulose holds a BSc in mining engineering and a graduate diploma in engineering in mining from Wits, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the Gordon Institute of Business Science. Within the South African mining sector as a whole, Stewart is VP of Minerals Council South Africa, Fellow of the Geological Society of South Africa, and a registered natural scientist. Prior to joining Sibanye-Stillwater, Stewart served on the Gold One executive committee from 2009, where his last appointment was executive VP technical services. Prior to that, he was CEO of Goliath Gold Limited, held management positions at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's mining technology division, Dunrose 186 trading as Shango Solutions and Uranium One, and was an investment consultant for African Global Capital. Stewart succeeds Neal Froneman, who retired as CEO and executive director on Tuesday September 30, following a 12-year tenure that transformed the group into a multinational mining and metals processing company. "We extend our sincere thanks to Neal for his visionary leadership over the last 13 years, and welcome Mdu to Sibanye-Stillwater, to guide the next part of our journey, as we continue to deliver superior shared value for all stakeholders," Stewart stated. The share prices of Sibanye-Stillwater this week rose by 16.98% week-on-week to reach a fresh record high amid higher prices of platinum and gold. Last Friday, the company climbed to a 52-week high of $11.25 a share after the spot price of gold rose by 0.28% and platinum by 3.37%. Spot prices of gold were at $3 759/oz and prices of platinum at $1 580/oz. Meanwhile, on the cost front, Sibanye-Stillwater is lowering energy costs through the development of solar and wind projects, reducing carbon emissions and strengthening energy security. Sibanye-Stillwater began in 2013 with three gold mines, expanding under Froneman's leadership into platinum group metals, battery metals, increased gold tailings reprocessing, and recycling.

Low-cost renewables will make up 30% of Sibanye-Stillwater power supply by 2027 This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. A targeted 600 MW pipeline of solar and wind projects has been developed by platinum group metals and gold mining company Sibanye-Stillwater which, combined with other energy management initiatives, will displace 30% of current Eskom supply with low-cost renewable energy by 2027. The renewable energy programme of the Johannesburg- and New York-listed company is a key lever for decarbonisation, given that 92% of group emissions originate from the power utility Eskom. On 1 September, members of Sibanye-Stillwater and the Castle consortium celebrated commercial operation of the Castle wind farm project since the end of March. The Castle project has already harnessed gains by generating 56 GWh energy, avoiding 57 000 t CO2e emissions and saving R22-million for the South Africa region up to June 30 since the start of commercial operation at the end of March. Progress towards the overall 600 MW target has been made through the construction of three wind and one solar project totalling 407 MW of generation capacity that is expected to be in commercial operation by end of 2026. The four projects include the 89 MW capacity Castle wind farm, the 103 MW capacity Witberg wind farm the 140 MW capacity Umsinde wind farm, and the 75 MW capacity Springbok solar photovoltaic project. The renewable energy projects are being developed by independent power producers (IPPs) with Sibanye- Stillwater contracted to secure the offtake of the generated energy. These projects are forecast to reduce Sibanye-Stillwater's annual emissions by 1.5-million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. The cost of renewable energy is estimated to be at a 15% to 30% discount to Eskom tariffs, escalating at CPI. Located near De Aar in the Northern Cape, Castle is a facility dedicated to supplying renewable energy to Sibanye-Stillwater's South African operations through a wheeling agreement with Eskom. Each of Castle's 16 wind turbines has the capacity to generate 6 MW of electricity in optimal conditions and each turbine stands 100 m from the ground to the centre of the hub height; the total height from the blade tip is 183 m. Other benefits from Castle, which is said to be the largest current private-offtake wind farm in operation in South Africa, include 0.6% of revenue derived from the consortium managing the wind farm that will be invested in local community education, health, social-welfare and skills development programmes and initiatives. "Through the development of large-scale solar and wind projects and innovative energy solutions, we are actively reducing our energy cost, reducing our emissions and strengthening energy security for the South Africa region. "With this robust pipeline of projects in development, our 600 MW target will drive tangible progress toward a more sustainable and resilient energy future for the group," Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman stated in a release to Mining Weekly on Tuesday, September 30. Sibanye-Stillwater is committed to contributing to a global solution to climate change by proactively managing its carbon footprint as well as delivering those commodities needed to mitigate carbon emissions. The multinational mining and metals processing group is a major producer of platinum, palladium, and rhodium, a top-tier gold producer and refines iridium and ruthenium, nickel, chrome, copper and cobalt. It has also diversified into battery metals mining and processing and has increased its presence in the circular economy by growing its recycling and tailings reprocessing exposure globally. The Castle consortium was led by Anthem, a renewables IPP, and Reatile Renewables as shareholders. Anthem is owned by the African Infrastructure Investment Mana...

Bristow stepping down after elevating Barrick to great heights in fewer than seven years This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. The president and CEO of Barrick, Dr Mark Bristow, is stepping down after elevating the New York- and Toronto-listed gold and copper mining company to great heights in fewer than seven years. After his high-flying Randgold Resources merged with the then low-flyng Barrick in 2019, South African-born Bristow led the hugely successful integration of the two companies, and during his tenure made very fruitful investments in Barrick's world-class assets to boost profitable gold and copper growth. Since the merger with Randgold, Barrick has returned $6.7-billion to shareholders and reduced net debt by $4-billion. Under Bristow, Barrick has streaked ahead as a leading global mining, exploration and development company, with very advantageous discovery and development outcomes. The most recent excellent set of second-quarter results reported outstanding operating performance, strong cash flows, an uplifted quarterly dividend and sturdy share price performance. Six of the world's Tier 1 gold mines and flourishing copper prospects have been bolting forward under Bristow across 18 countries and five continents. Real, long-term value for all stakeholders has been created through responsible mining, strong partnerships and a disciplined approach to growth. In Africa, Kibali in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has stunned the world as one of the world's greenest and most automated gold mines while continuing to contribute to the Congolese economy with in-country investment now surpassing $6.3-billion, which included $3.1-billion in payments to local contractors and partners. The mine remains the single biggest economic contributor to the north-eastern DRC, spanning the Haut-Uele and Ituri provinces. On the environmental protection front, solar power and battery energy storage have boosted DRC's clean hydropower. When Bristow began building Kibali 15 years ago, the region was one of the DRC's most underdeveloped but the value created and the infrastructure built there have since transformed the region into a new economic frontier and a flourishing commercial hub. Moreover, work with the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation and African Parks has resulted in the DRC's Garamba National Park becoming synonymous with white rhino, the most social of all rhino species. Bristow also highlighted how Africa's Tanzania delivered "another on-track quarter with North Mara continuing its steady performance". At Tanzania's Bulyanhulu, expansion is continuing with a spotlight on a second access and production area to support future growth. With associated royalty reduction benefit, Barrick is adapting to the new legislation that is being implemented in Tanzania, which requires 20% of gold production to be reserved for in-country trading. In Zambia, copper progress at the Lumwana Super Pit Expansion is exciting Barrick amid the operation continuing on a steady upward trajectory, with year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter increases in production and a positive reduction across all key metrics. The Lumwana Super Pit Expansion is not only well on track but has so far this year funded itself through operating cash flows, which will continue for the rest of the year at current spot prices. Once complete, the expanded Lumwana is expected to deliver 240 000 t/y of copper, supported by a 52-million-ton-a-year processing plant and a mine life of more than 30 years. Last year, Lumwana's second quarter copper production was 25 000 t compared with this year's second-quarter production of a far higher 44 000 t. With this production surge has come a commensurate drop in the unit cost per pound of copper and all-in sustaining costs. Lumw...

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. Key hydrogen systems laboratories will go live next month in China, where rapid growth is reported in the platinum-catalysed proton exchange membrane (PEM) green hydrogen technology that is poised to play a central role in helping to protect Mother Earth from destructive climate change. The laboratories have been established in Shanghai by a company within the German Heraeus Precious Metals Group, which has long-standing ties with South Africa, the world's most endowed platinum group metals country. Heraeus Business Line Hydrogen Systems head Dr Philipp Walter described as "exciting" the progress made in hydrogen systems at Heraeus Materials Technology. Walter had this to say on his return from China: "The labs reflect China's rapid pace of hydrogen innovation." Interestingly, China - already the world's biggest producer and consumer of hydrogen - has included hydrogen its its 2025 energy law, which gives the atomic energy number one element elevated official status within the Asian country's national energy framework. The investment in new laboratories that have good testing and development capacity underline the commitment of Heraeus innovate within tthe world's most dynamic hydrogen market. The Asian giant's lightning fast PEM advance is reflected in the "skilled and motivated" Heraeus laboratory staff already having plans to expand by hiring more hydrogen professionals. "I'm excited to see how our talented Shanghai team will drive the next chapter of sustainable energy solutions," an upbeat Walter wrote on LinkedIn. The cost-efficient production of green hydrogen - on the industrial scale that China can provide - will be an important contributor towards a zero-emission society, on a planet increasingly threatened by floods, droughts and wildfires. China's 2025 solar hydrogen advance is underpinned by an innovation-rich ecosystem that is accelerating the global green hydrogen transition, Hydrogen Industry's Klaus Steven observed this week. China is rapidly positioning itself as a trailblazer in sustainable hydrogen energy, Top News' Jimmy Peterson reported on September 22, on the back of strategic government policies, abundant renewable resources, and a strong industrial base. These factors not only drive cost reductions but also hold broad implications for clean energy transition and global carbon neutrality ambitions, Peterson added. In South Africa, Heraeus operates from both a marketing and sales office in Boksburg, Gauteng, as well as from a platinum chemical compounds production and refinery site in Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape. Also in South Africa is China's Hunan province hydrogen stalwart SANY, which has a very active presence in Gauteng, and Mining Weekly can report that SANY has unveiled a PEM electrolyser that is targeting a cost reduction to $138/kW within two years. One of the largest hydrogen equipment tenders to date has been invited in China through the unveiling of the 2025 hydrogen production equipment centralised procurement bidding announcement. With an estimated 125 electrolyser units up for bidding, Green Power VP Yong Ye has pointed out that this initiative underscores the commitment of China Energy Engineering Corporation to build a significant green hydrogen supply chain that includes PEM as a key bidding package. When it comes to producing green hydrogen at scale, Quest One has reported on the advantages of PEM's fast response to fluctuating power supply and lower maintenance requirement. Quest One described PEM electrolysis as a future-proof solution for the energy transition, with modular design supporting long-term uplift. Meanwhile, Walter's view is that the peaks and valleys of renewable energy supply are best balanced out by stored hydrogen or hydrogen compounds. Hydrog...

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer discusses the growing demand for platinum in the medical technology sector; the advances being made by Rainbow Rare Earths at its Phalaborwa rare earth element project, in Limpopo, South Africa; and the production of cassava in Zambia's Copperb

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. The demand for platinum in medical technology is on its way to reaching a 320 000 oz high point this year amid growth being at a consistent 3% compound annual growth rate since 2013 and 4% more growth forecast for this year. Last year medical demand for platinum represented 4% of total platinum demand and platinum is singled out in this week's communique of the World Platinum Investment Council as being the only material suitable for the electrodes required in the one-million pacemakers implanted each year. According to advanced materials business Umicore, platinum is the precious metal of choice when it comes to medical technology, owing to its chemical inertness, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, temperature and dimensional stability, and electrical conductivity. This very distinctive metal, with which South Africa is overwhelmingly endowed, is one that does not cause toxic reactions, even in long-term human implants. Moreover, Mining Weekly can report that the use of platinum is crucial because it is inert, conductive, and radiopaque. In general, the demands placed on surfaces in medical technology are high - and with good reason - owing to their contribution to the successful outcome of medical procedures. In this regard, high-quality coatings are essential, as the quality of plated surfaces is decisive for maintaining the properties and the performance of the end product. The council reported Umicore as seeing increased interest in its platinum-based coating technology, which has been specially designed for medical applications. The platinum-based coating technology is based on a strong acidic solution with a comparatively low sulfuric acid content, which makes it less aggressive towards the substrate to be coated and allows easier application on sensitive materials. The properties of the platinum-based coating technology enable uniform layer distribution, even with complex geometries, which is found to be advantageous in the manufacture of miniaturised components. They are also present in sensors for pH, glucose, oxygen, or electrocardiogram measurement, where coated, smooth, and non-porous surfaces improve signal quality. In addition, high electrical conductivity and chemical inertness ensure reliable measurement results over extended periods. In addition, platinum markers are used to enable the precise positioning of catheters or clot-retrieval devices under X-ray control, owing to platinum's radiopacity. Its radiopacity is put to good use when performing delicate, life-saving procedures to treat patients with neurovascular disorders such as strokes or aneurysms, or when fitting stents to treat narrow or blocked arteries. Further, electrodes in ablation catheters benefit from the high conductivity and corrosion resistance of platinum coatings.

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. The divestment by diversified mining company Anglo American of its residual shareholding in Valterra Platinum was on Tuesday highlighted by enabler Standard Bank as "the largest equity capital markets transaction in the history of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange". The placement raised R44.1-billion to help realise Anglo's strategy of divesting its Valterra stake and simplifying its portfolio to focus on its positions in copper, iron-ore, and crop nutrients, with the cash proceeds from the sale adding to Anglo's balance sheet strength. Standard Bank, Africa's largest bank by assets, acted as a joint global coordinator on the selloff of Anglo's remaining 19.9% stake in Valterra, South Africa's major integrated resource-to-market platinum group metals (PGMs) company. As the only South African bank within the syndicate, Standard Bank unlocked anchor demand that helped deliver a sale of the full residual stake. The transaction was described by Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking Head of Equity Capital Markets, South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa Richard Stout as a reinforcement of the bank's leading equity capital markets' franchise position on the African continent. Anglo launched an accelerated bookbuild offering of 52.2-million ordinary Valterra shares on September 3 at a price of R845 a share. Formerly Anglo American Platinum, Valterra mines, smelts and refines PGMs and associated co-products from operations in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Following the demerger of the then Anglo American Platinum from the Anglo group in May, Anglo retained the 19.9%, with the good performance of the Valterra share price prompting the timing of the sale of its remaining interest in the PGMs producer. Valterra's six underground mines and flagship opencast mine form part of an integrated value chain that has marketing hubs in London, Singapore and Shanghai, Valterra PGMs take in platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium. High profile uses of PGMs include jewellery, auto catalytic converters, hydrogen fuel cells, air and water purification units, heart pacemakers, computer screens, hard disks and fertilisers. In recent years, the value of PGMs has seen platinum become an investment commodity alongside gold. The World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC), of which Valterra is a member, reported, in a Zoom interview with Mining Weekly on September 11, that demand for platinum as an investment product is currently "extremely strong". "We're seeing Chinese consumers who are looking for hard assets that are also liquid. With the increase in the gold price, investors are looking for alternatives and platinum naturally fits into that narrative," WPIC research director Edward Sterck commented. "What's really interesting is that where we're seeing the strongest growth in platinum investment demand is in the smaller bar sizes and in coins, which is a clear indicator of broad-based demand. "We're not talking about high net worth investors here, we're talking about the average consumer, the kind of retail-type consumer whose seeing a value opportunity in platinum," Sterck pointed out, at a time when the platinum market is forecast to see its third consecutive annual deficit in 2025, which has been brought about by a combination of constrained supply juxtaposed with demand that is proving to be more robust than anticipated. The mining and marketing of South Africa's PGMs is very important to the South African economy and the more open the trading of these special metals is, the better. What is very encouraging is that transparent trading of platinum and palladium by the Guangzhou Futures Exchange (GFEX) is likely to go live in the not too distant future, first domestically in China, and then later become available for...

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. More smart testwork in the Johannesburg laboratory of Rainbow Rare Earths has enabled yet another forward leap for rare earth elements (REEs), at a time when REEs are in growing demand for use in permanent magnets to help the world go green and clean. On September 1, the London-listed Rainbow Rare Earths shot the lights out with an exceptionally pure rare earth recovered from waste on a dump in South Africa's Limpopo province. Now, 22 days later, it has streaked ahead still further through the major cerium depletion advance for light and heavy magnet REEs. Cerium, a low-value $1/kg REE, constitutes a large portion of REE material, which makes its early depletion ahead of final separation highly desirable as it reduces the flow and simplifies subsequent hydrometallurgical processes. This lowers the required reagent and water consumption, which in turn results in a smaller separation plant with reduced capital and operating costs. Cerium being down 65% lifts grade still higher as multiple tests have confirmed. The workstream that is expected to be finalised in the last quarter of this year will be high purity neodymium and praseodymium oxide, and a heavy rare earth concentrate that will include the very high value dysprosium and terbium. The Phalaborwa project is one of the world's most resilient rare earths projects in that it recovers REEs from phosphogypsum stacks, a waste product from phosphoric acid production, which eliminates many of the costs, risks and long timescales associated with traditional mining projects. The potential to become a very low-cost producer of light and heavy REE, and one of the highest-margin projects in development globally, is being increasingly recognised against a backdrop of the Western world finally recognising the underpinning by REEs of the functionality of so many of the emerging and advanced technologies that are required by twenty-first-century society. The latest cerium depletion advance on top of the earlier exceptional purity primary continuous ion exchange (CIX) achievement, also reduces the volumetric flow for the mixed feed stream entering the final separation circuit, which lowers capital and operating costs for this portion of the flowsheet. The incorporation of the cerium depletion step to the flowsheet of the Phalaborwa project has helped to reduce the volumetric flow to the separation circuit to 2% of the original 340 m3/h pregnant leach solution coming into the CIX circuit, and has the added benefit of 27% less metal going into the circuit. Being highlighted is distinctive intellectual property in the recovery of REE from phosphogypsum through the Phalaborwa project. The cerium rejection step simplifies the feed entering the final separation circuit, both in terms of volume and in terms of the amount of unwanted metal that must be separated. "These results demonstrate the exceptional work being carried out by our team at our in-house facility in Johannesburg, which is a world-class laboratory at the cutting-edge of REE recovery techniques," Rainbow Rare Earths CEO George Bennett pointed out on a media release to Mining Weekly. Rainbow's large pilot plant was built in collaboration with Mintek, South Africa's Council for Mineral Technology, which derives its mandate from the Minerals Technology Act. The availability of phosphogypsum is the result of the mining of a hard-rock phosphate deposit, which has been carried out by Foskor for the last 60 years. The mined material is concentrated through a flotation process into a phosphate slurry, which over the period has been the feed for a nearby phosphoric acid plant, where two key ingredients were added, namely sulphuric acid and heat to create phosphoric acid. The rare earths in the phosphate slurry were furthe...

Pan African's MTR celebrates a year of operation This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. Nearly a year after commissioning, Pan African Resources' Mogale tailings retreatment (MTR) operation, in Mogale City, is looking back on the success of the project, which has been critical to local community development and environmental mitigation. In 2022, Pan African acquired the asset from the liquidators of Mintails, and immediately embarked on the construction of the MTR, investing R2.5-billion to develop the plant that would ultimately process tailings from dumps. By October 3, 2024, the MTR had been commissioned within 14 months - two months ahead of schedule and R100-million under budget - and by December 2024, the operations had ramped up to full production of 800 000 t a month. Speaking to Mining Weekly on the sidelines of the relaunch of the MTR on Friday, which was attended by Mogale City local municipality mayor Councillor Lucky Godfrey Sele, MTR GM Oriel Shikwambana said that a game-changer for the development of the project was approaching it on an engineering, procurement and construction management basis. This meant the team was in control of the execution, which enabled it to achieve the full construction ahead of time and below budget. Further, the decision to leverage bolted construction of the carbon-in-leach tanks, instead of the standard welded contraction, saved the company about two months on the construction time. Some 1 600 people were employed during the construction phase, with over 1 000 from the local community. Currently, there are 700 people on site - 200 are permanent employees. In addition to environmental benefits of processing the tailings, the company's social and labour plan and investments into schools and local community development projects, besides others, are having far-reaching local benefits and promoting local enterprise development.

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer discusses Glencore's plans to provide financing and an offtake term sheet for Orion Minerals' Prieska copper mine, in the Northern Cape; South Africa receiving a mention by the UN climate organisation; South Africa's R105-billion Coega Green Am

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. The South African economy requires fruitful outcomes to emerge quickly from the crucial memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will be signed tomorrow by Minerals Council South Africa and South Africa's Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek). The signing of the MoU between Minerals Council CEO Mzila Mthenjane and Mintek CEO Dr Molefi Motuku takes place at a time when the private and public sectors are duty bound to ensure that as much domestic value is added to South Africa's metals and minerals at a time of worrying global disruption. It must also be demanded that the collaboration promised by this latest agreement between the private-sector's Minerals Council and the public sector's Mintek be taken to the next level transparently so that all can witness greater efficiency in the processes used to add value to South Africa's mineral endowment, the property of the South African people. South Africa's active patent development, strong extraction and processing skillsets, and the emerging adoption of advanced processing technologies across different minerals has got to be taken much further for all to see. There is no reason why South Africa cannot become a global contender of note in the field of decarbonisation at the same time. Expansion into clean-energy metals can drive sector growth and attract investment, with profit margins and export value increased by downstream beneficiation and value-addition strategies. There for the taking is the establishment of a clean new minerals energy complex with electricity provided by the sun and the wind. Even if South Africa had to quadruple the generation of renewable electricity, it is unlikely that all of it would likely be taken up - and it comes at a lower price. Moreover, the green energy provided would allow South Africa's exports to quality for premium prices and avoid the penalties envisaged for non-green products. The MoU must make South Africa smarter by ensuring that this country's mineral wealth taken to level that is higher than ever before - and this needs to be done with the utmost urgency. The modern technology that is available to use has reached a new peak and collaborative use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced digital solutions is what can be offered by this MoU so that big and small companies benefit economically. The Boston Consulting Group this week reported how companies using AI to advance decarbonisation across the value chain are benefiting. The group also presented insight into the extent to which climate change continues to increase, causing significant financial losses through the uptick in the greater frequency at which floods, droughts and wildfires are occurring. OPPORTUNITY 'RIGHT NOW' As has already been pointed out by the Minerals Council, South Africa has an opportunity "right now" to grow its mining sector for the benefit of South Africa's people amid Improved resource custodianship being able to increase mineral reserve sizes and extend he lives of mining operations. In addition, solar and wind energy can reduce operational costs and improve environmental, social and governance ratings, which can in turn attract responsible investment and enhance security of supply. Moreover, the adoption of AI, automation and digitisation can improve mining efficiencies. Collaborative research and development through the MoU as well as through the simultaneous help of universities and original equipment manufacturers can position South Africa in mining innovation. ADVANCES ALREADY MADE An exceptionally pure rare earth product has been delivered by Rainbow Rare Earths, which recovered the elements for this from phosphogypsum stacks, waste product from phosphoric acid production. Phosphogypsum availability comes about through the...

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. Orion Minerals' Prieska copper/zinc mine, in South Africa's well-endowed Northern Cape, has received a prospective financing and offtake uplift through the signing of a non-binding term sheet with a wholly owned subsidiary of Glencore involving financing of $200-million to $250-million and concentrate offtake for the promising Prieska asset. Prieska is the centrepiece of Orion's future-facing metals portfolio. Historically mined between the 1970s and 1990s, Prieska is one of the world's volcanogenic massive sulphide base metal deposits, with a recorded past production of 430 000 t of copper and one-million tonnes of zinc from 46.8-million tonnes of sulphide ore milled. The mine financing will be made available in two tranches, the first $40-million of which will be for the construction and startup of Prieska's Uppers, and the second $160-million to $210-million for the construction and startup of Prieska's Deeps. Moreover, up to $50-million of the second tranche may be drawn early to commence early works on the Deeps. The arrangement with the subsidiary of the global diversified London- and Johannesburg-listed Glencore, a miner and marketer of more than 60 commodities, was announced by the Sydney- and Johannesburg-listed Orion in a Stock Exchange News Service announcement on Wednesday, 17 September. Conditions precedent to funding under the facilities include Glencore completing an already commenced due diligence. Drawdown will be based on milestones for each tranche to be agreed during the due diligence process, with first drawdown targeted for November. Key offtake terms include the offtake of 100% of bulk concentrates from the Uppers for five years, 100% of copper concentrates from the Deeps for ten years, and 100% of zinc concentrates from the Deeps for ten years. The proposed Glencore funding will enable Orion to transition to producer status with a binding agreement expected over the next four to six weeks. The first tranche enables Orion to move swiftly into first production and first cash flow from mining of the Uppers at Prieska and the early drawdown of the second tranche allows Orion to commence early works on the Deeps in accordance with the Prieska definitive feasibility study (DFS), Orion CEO Tony Lennox explained in a media release to Mining Weekly. "This will allow for smooth and continuous operations as we move from the Uppers towards full-scale operations from the Deeps. In parallel with the due diligence process with Glencore, we will continue discussions with our current funding partners." The project progress at Prieska has been followed by Glencore for some time and Glencore copper marketing's Toby Spittle expressed commitment to completing the due diligence expeditiously "and seeing Prieska recommence production as soon as possible". As an early funder of the Prieska mine, South Africa's State-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), expressed excitement about the prospects of advancing the project to implementation through its acting divisional executive of industrial projects and property development Rian Coetzee. "The early support provided by IDC in developing the project is key to our mandate and implementation of the project will bring significant job creation in the Northern Cape and add to the socioeconomic development of the region," said Coetzee, who added that IDC would maintain its support for the project and be part of its successful implementation. In an interview with Mining Weekly earlier this year, Lennox emphasised the closeness of Orion from transitioning to producer status. "We'll do so in a considered and detailed manner, but rest assured, we'll be producing concentrate by the end of next year," he forecast. The permitted Prieska, which last operated in 199...

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. South Africa needs both a competitive mining sector and a strong manufacturing base but supporting one sector by undermining another is an unsustainable strategy, Chrome SA cautions in a comprehensive media release in which it emphasises its willingness to work with government to create a policy environment where mining and manufacturing can thrive but that this has to take place within framework of competitive electricity pricing, reliable electricity supply, and globally competitive investment conditions. Viewed by Chrome SA as an unsustainable strategy are the proposed chrome export taxes and quotas to encourage the sale of chrome ore locally and thereby revive South Africa's struggling ferrochrome smelting industry, which uses chrome ore to produce ferrochrome, a key ingredient in the manufacture of stainless steel. The members of Chrome SA are Assore, Sibanye-Stillwater, Tharisa, Valterra Platinum, Northam Platinum, Siyanda Resources, ChromTech, Pelagic Resources, Impala Platinum and Jubilee Metals. The organisation makes it clear that the chrome ore mining industry is ready to be part of a solution but only with the introduction of: competitive power tariffs that allow energy-intensive industries to compete globally;reliable power supply, underpinned by investment in Eskom's recovery and diversified new generation;regulatory certainty for self-generation and renewable projects by mines and smelters, enabling them to take charge of their own energy future; anda coherent industrial strategy that fosters both upstream mining and downstream beneficiation, without sacrificing one for the other. The decline of South Africa's ferrochrome sector, it says, is not the result of expensive chrome ore but rather the up-to-three-times-more that South Africa's ferrochrome producers are having to pay for electricity than their global competitors. "No amount of tweaking ore prices or imposing export restrictions will change the fact that uncompetitive power costs have crippled the sector. Unless electricity pricing is addressed, local smelters will remain unviable - regardless of what happens to ore exports," Chrome SA accentuates. Export restrictions, quotas or taxes would, it adds, cut into already thin margins for chrome ore mining companies, which employ more than 25 000 people, while sustaining thousands more jobs in surrounding communities through procurement, services and household spending. In 2024, chrome ore exports generated more than R84-billion in foreign exchange earnings for South Africa and curtailing exports would directly reduce foreign currency inflows as well as tax revenues, at a time when the fiscus can least afford it. Against that background, Chrome SA emphasises its willingness to work with government to create a policy environment where mining and manufacturing can thrive but only within a framework of competitive electricity pricing, reliable electricity supply, and globally competitive investment conditions.

Anglo frees 'at least' $5bn as it locks arms with next-door-neighbour copper mine This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. At least $5-bilion has been liberated by Johannesburg-listed Anglo American carrying out a joint mine plan with an adjacent copper operator in South America. Becoming one are Anglo American Sur's Los Bronces mine and Codelco's Andina mine in Chile. Los Bronces is an opencast copper mine with a 30-year-plus mine life and Andina is one of Chile's oldest mines. Once relevant permits are in place in 2030, the joint mine plan will add 2.7-million tonnes of extra copper potential over 21 years. The additional 120 000 t/y of copper will come at a 15% lower unit cost relative to standalone operations, as well as minimal incremental capital expenditure. Anglo American Sur and the State-owned Codelco share the minimum $5-billion pre-tax net present value uplift equally. Interestingly, the combined 2024 outputs of Los Bronces-Andina put the amalgamated entity into the global top ten with the incremental 120 000 t/y expected under the joint mine plan elevating the merged entity into the global top five. The step change is made possible by the coordination of existing plant capacity and infrastructure. Anglo CEO Duncan Wanblad put copper at the forefront of his diversified mining company's growth ambitions through a Stock Exchange News Service (SENS) announcement, in which he described the transaction as one which is "ushering in a new chapter". "Together, we're demonstrating what's possible when two leading copper mining companies work together with a shared purpose," added Wanblad, while pointing out that without the support of Anglo American Sur's partners Mitsubishi and Mitsui copper advance would not have been possible. Codelco chairperson Máximo Pacheco placed value on the transaction being inclusive of "the voices of workers, as well as the intense effort, remarkable capabilities, and outstanding professionalism of our teams, who succeeded in reaching an agreement that had been in waiting for years". "We can now maximise the potential of the Andina-Los Bronces mining district without major investments and with significantly greater returns. This collaboration for sustainable mining will also help meet the urgent need for more critical minerals for the energy transition, in a world where copper production has so far remained stagnant," he pointed out in the SENS announcement sourced by Mining Weekly. The new jointly owned and jointly controlled operating company, the statement said, would now coordinate execution of the joint mine plan and optimise processing capacity across Los Bronces and Andina. Each party would retain ownership of respective assets, taking in mining concessions, plants and ancillary infrastructure, and each would continue to mine concessions separately. Moreover, the implementation of the joint mine plan would be guided by sustainability principles to safeguard social and environmental commitments.

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. South Africa's just transition that protects workers and communities while scaling-up renewables to strengthen energy security is being held up as an example of climate mitigation advance by the UN ahead of Paris Agreement deadlines. "International partnerships are signalling momentum, bringing together governments, public financiers, and private investors to support South Africa's shift from coal to clean energy - growing from $8.5-billion to $11.6-billion," the UN climate organisation stated in a media release to Mining Weekly on Monday, 15 September As deadlines approach for Paris Agreement countries, African governments are being encouraged to present their new national climate plans as opportunities to supercharge economies and boost living standards across the continent. "Strong new national climate plans are blueprints for stronger economies, more jobs and rising living standards, across all African nations, UN Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell stated in the release. "Strong plans open the door to new industries, large-scale investment, more affordable clean energy accessible to all, and more resilient infrastructure, as climate disasters hit African nations harder each year. "Africa is not just on the frontlines of climate impacts; it is also at the forefront of solutions. Right across the continent, we are already seeing massive potential and innovations which cut planet-heating pollution and build more climate-resilient economies. "Strong new national climate plans are the key to converting that potential into real-economy outcomes at scale, including the millions of new jobs they create," added Stiell, who held the portfolio of Minister for Climate Resilience and the Environment of Grenada for five years. The UN is calling on all countries to submit their new plans, formally called Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, as soon as possible ahead of key milestones, including the UN Secretary General's September Climate Summit and November COP30 in Brazil. While September will be an important milestone, submissions will continue in the run-up to COP30, with each plan helping to limit global heating to 1.5 0C above preindustrial levels and protect all people, while also unlocking jobs, growth, and economic benefits. "While particular responsibility rests with the largest economies, whose choices determine the global trajectory of emissions, it is essential that every nation puts forward its most ambitious plan, both to strengthen humanity's collective response and to drive each nation's own prosperity and security," the release added. AFRICA'S EXAMPLES South Africa was positioned at the top of three Africa examples as a country with an NDC that shields working communities, amid solar and wind scaleup to assure continuous energy flow. Nigeria, cited as the second Africa example, was described as advancing a whole-of-government and society approach, linking climate action to job creation, poverty reduction, and improved energy access. More than 85-million Nigerians still lack electricity, making decentralised renewables critical. In the West African country, large-scale solar is expected to generate 33 905 direct green jobs by 2030. The micro-solar sector is already employing youth as energy officers and the Great Green Wall has restored more than five-million hectares. Interestingly, extensive mangroves also provide carbon storage and flood protection. With a population projected to surpass 400-million by 2050 and GDP already over $470-billion, Nigeria has distinctive potential to be a powerful leader in Africa's green transition. Its upcoming climate plan is being designed as a national investment strategy to generate millions of green jobs by 2035 and secure a strong share of t...

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer notes Pan African Resources has had an excellent financial year, and is now eyeing a promising Soweto gold project; African Rainbow Minerals’s game-changing narrow-reef-cutting mining solution; and South African smelting technology that is savi

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. Following go-ahead for the required renewable energy generation, South Africa's R105-billion Coega Green Ammonia project in Nelson Mandela Bay has now advanced to front-end engineering design (FEED) stage, so that construction can potentially begin in early 2027 and commissioning in December 2029. Environmental impact assessment work on all of Hive Hydrogen's 3 300 MW of renewable energy assets is now concluded, following the securing of environmental authorisation for the 1 000 MW Carissa wind energy facility, near Beaufort West, in South Africa's Western Cape province. "We're delighted," is the comment of Hive Hydrogen South Africa chairperson Thulani Gcabashe, a former Eskom CEO, whose Built Africa Group focuses on developing renewable energy projects in South Africa under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme. With 154 wind turbines, Carissa will clean energise seawater into hydrogen, the key ingredient of the green ammonia that is earmarked for export to Asia and Europe. The Eastern Cape project is now on track to begin FEED in November and conclude final investment decisions by July 2026. Requests for proposals were invited in July for a plant with a production capacity of one-million-tons plus of green ammonia a year; provision for seawater abstraction, desalination and demineralisation; storage facilities that have two 7 km pipelines for 70 000 t of green ammonia piping; a 1 430 MW solar photovoltaic cluster of nine solar farms; and 1 879 MW of wind power in two clusters of five wind farms. FEED completion, ammonia plant construction, and renewable energy generation infrastructure are focal points of the proposals requested. Hive Hydrogen backed by Hive Energy and Built Africa has been working since September 2019 on establishing a large-scale green ammonia plant in South Africa powered by renewable energy to produce one million tonnes a year. The permitting of the Carissa wind energy facility is the work of a partnership made up of Hive Hydrogen, the Coega Green Ammonia project sponsor, which is the committed offtaker, project developer AMDA Developments, and Blue Crane Environmental, the independent environmental assessment practitioner responsible for leading the environmental impact assessment process. Coega is one of Hive's three green hydrogen schemes, the other two being Albamed in Spain and Gente Grande in Chile. Meanwhile, on the global front, Hydrogen Council's McKinsey-authored global hydrogen compass reports that the hydrogen industry worldwide has committed investments totalling $110-billion for 500-plus projects that are past final investment decision, in construction or already operational. Total committed capacity now exceeds six-million tonnes a year, including an annual one million tonnes already in operation, with China leading the world in total committed investments of $33-billion and 50% of global renewable capacity. "We're seeing tangible proof of progress," McKinsey quotes Hyundai Motor Group and Hydrogen Council co-chairperson Jaehoon Chang as saying. In the US, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association member Air Products last month announced that it had successfully completed the first fill of the world's largest hydrogen sphere at the Kennedy Space Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in Florida. Air Products reportedly delivered more than 730 000 gallons of liquid hydrogen, more than 50 trailer loads, to fill the 90-foot sphere. The hydrogen will be combined with liquid oxygen to fuel NASA's Artemis missions. The eleventh Hydrogen Day is scheduled to be hosted by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association on October 8 - 10/08 in recognition of hydrogen's 1.008 atomic weight. Taking part will be former US Department of...

This audio is brought to you by Astec Industries, a Global Leader in manufacturing equipment for infrastructure, including asphalt production, construction, and material processing, driving innovation and sustainability. The demand for platinum as an investment product is currently "extremely strong" in China. "We're seeing Chinese consumers who are looking for hard assets that are also liquid. With the increase in the gold price, investors are looking for alternatives and platinum naturally fits into that narrative," World Platinum Investment Council research director Edward Sterck told Mining Weekly in a Zoom video interview, following the publication of the Platinum Quarterly Report for the Second Quarter of 2025, as well as an updated full-year 2025 forecast. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.) "What's really interesting is where we're seeing the strongest growth in platinum investment demand is in the smaller bar sizes and in coins, which is a clear indicator of broad-based demand. "We're not talking about high net worth investors here, we're talking about the average consumer, the kind of retail-type consumer whose seeing a value opportunity in platinum," Sterck pointed out, at a time when the platinum market is forecast to see its third consecutive annual deficit in 2025, which has been brought about by a combination of constrained supply juxtaposed with demand that is proving to be more robust than anticipated. "If you exclude Covid - so 2020, when output was impacted by Covid restrictions plus the outage at the then Anglo American Platinum and now Valterra ACP smelter in Rustenburg - 2025 is the lowest mine supply year since 2003." Confronting the stronger-than-anticipated automotive demand for platinum, an inflection point for jewellery demand in China, and the "extremely strong" demand for platinum as an investment product, a nigh one-million-ounce 2025 deficit is on the way. "If you look at forecast mine supply for this year, it's roughly seven-million ounces. If you look at forecast demand, it's roughly 7.9-million ounces, so regardless what happens as we go through to next year, we've still got that big supply/demand disconnect," Sterck reported. Discarded as being "pretty de minimis" is the 2% drop in automotive demand and described as "really just economics" is platinum's looming five-year mine supply low: "The pricing just isn't adequate to sustain or increase supply going forward . . . our forecast for this year, and going forwards for the next few years, is for ongoing and sustained deficits." Mining Weekly: What's behind the recovery of platinum jewellery demand and how sustainable is it? Sterck: There's been a lot of focus when it comes to jewellery. Since 2014, we've had roughly 3.5% CAGR growth in demand for platinum jewellery from the world at large and what appears to be a fairly significant inflection point and quite substantial growth in China. The thing I should probably emphasise with regards to that growth potential in China is it's being led to a degree by the wholesalers and the retailers who are trying to compensate for a big decline in consumer demand for gold jewellery by offering something else, and that really means platinum, because China's not a big silver market to the same degree that Europe and North America are, so the wholesalers are trying to push that platinum jewellery into the market, which will result in a pretty significant year-on-year increase in terms of true consumer demand, but we don't have the data yet. I'd probably look towards the second week of October, which is Golden Week, and quite an important week in terms of retail sales for jewellery in China, to see confirmation of that really translating from the wholesaler efforts into true consumer buying. How much of China's investment demand is structural, and how much is being driven by current market conditions? In contrast to the kind of slightly cautious message I just imparted regarding jewellery, the inves...