Firestone offloads Botswana assets to diamond newcomer

Aim-listed Firestone Diamonds has inked a deal that will see it offloading its Botswana operations, including its interest in the BK11 mine, in the Orapa kimberlite field, to Toronto-listed Tango... 

Centamin’s Sukari mine lifts Q2 gold output 33% y/y

Dual-listed Centamin has lifted production from its Egypt-based Sukari gold mine by 33% year-on-year to 107 781 oz in the quarter ended June 30. Noting that full-year production was likely to be... 

Gold market returns to net dehedging in Q1

Following a year of net hedging in 2014, when hedging contributed 3.33-million ounces to gold supply, the first quarter of 2015 saw the market return to net dehedging, with the global producer gold... 

Gauteng’s infrastructure programme seen as ‘critical’ to province’s future

A little over a year after first taking office, Gauteng Premier David Makhura has reiterated his commitment to his administration’s transformation, modernisation and reindustrialisation (TMR)... 

StratMin offloads entire sub-94% graphite inventory

Aim-listed StratMin – London's only listed graphite mining and production company – has sold, in collaboration with its new offtake and joint venture partner Tirupati Carbons & Chemicals Group, its... 

Oliphant lobbies business to embrace centralised wage bargaining

Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant continues to back the centralised wage bargaining model as the most suitable mechanism through which the country’s fractious labour relations contentions can be... 

Glencore subsidiary Optimum to shut mines, shed 600 jobs

After warning in January of the possible closure of several of its opencast coal operations, coal processing plants and associated support services, Glencore subsidiary Optimum Coal Mines on... 

Savannah raises £550 000 to advance Moz JV

Aim-listed Savannah Resources has raised £550 000 through the placing of 21.9-million new ordinary shares at a placing price of 2.5p apiece with both new and existing investors, it said on Monday.... 

Growth, productivity headwinds biggest threats to mining – EY

Procyclical behaviour and short-term focused shareholders have pushed the “switch to growth” to the top of EY’s ranking of business risks facing mining and metals companies globally, the... 

MRI to acquire 39.2% share in metallic iron producer

Building on its strategy to provide “innovative” mine rehabilitation and restoration solutions, JSE-listed Mine Restoration Investment’s (MRI) has announced its intention to acquire up to 39.2% in... 

Two more South African renewables projects for Italian group

Italian multinational renewable-energy corporation Enel Green Power (EGP) has been awarded the right to sign 20-year energy supply contracts with South African utility Eskom for an additional 280... 

Load-shedding stripping businesses of competitiveness, investment

A sweeping 97% of South African businesses polled by professional services group BDO South Africa in a recent survey believe the country’s fragile electricity supply impacts negatively on investor... 

Consortium allocated more capacity from enlarged renewables round

A consortium led by global wind and solar company Mainstream Renewable Power has been awarded preferred bidder status by the Department of Energy (DoE) for two large-scale wind energy projects with... 

Antifracking group slams DMR’s ‘inadequate’ shale gas regulations

Despite an ongoing two-year strategic environmental assessment (SEA) into domestic hydraulic fracturing (fracking) by the Department of Environmental Affairs and claims from the environmental... 

Weak demand weighs on second-quarter business confidence

Returning to levels last seen in the first half of 2014, when the South African economy was rocked by a lengthy platinum sector strike, the Rand Merchant Bank (RMB)/Bureau for Economic Research... 

DTI invites S African mining companies to participate in Aus trade visit

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has called on businesses in the mining and capital equipment, mineral beneficiation, electrotechnical and mining services sectors, as well as other... 

Upcoming gold wage talks unpredictable as trade union loyalties shift

“Seismic shifts” in the country’s labour organisations look likely to make the forthcoming gold-sector wage negotiations – set to start on June 22 – more unpredictable than usual, with ructions in... 

Carpathian to cut output at Brazil mine amid water shortages

Carpathian Gold is preparing for a temporary reduction in the levels of mining and processing activities at the Riacho dos Machados (RDM) mine, in Brazil, for the next few months as a result of... 

Drill campaign confirms gold within pit boundary at Hardrock play

A drill campaign at Toronto-listed Centerra Gold and Premier Gold Mines’ Hardrock project, in northwestern Ontario, has continued to identify gold mineralisation within the current optimised pit... 

‘Undervalued’ Lemur accepts off-market Bushveld takeover

ASX-listed Lemur Resources has accepted an off-market takeover offer by majority shareholder Bushveld Minerals that sees the Africa-focused group paying A$0.06 for each ordinary Lemur share,... 

‘Homeless’ S African CEOs raise R25m on icy streets of Joburg

Over 250 CEOs from South Africa’s largest corporates traded in boardroom suits for cardboard boxes on Thursday evening, spending 12 hours on the streets of Johannesburg as part of an initiative to... 

Constable to transition to advisory role at Sasol

Sasol president and CEO David Constable has decided not to extend his contract of employment with the company, which expires on May 31, 2016, for a further term beyond June 30, 2016 – the company’s... 

M&R Cementation bags R4.8bn Kalagadi Manganese mining contract

Mining contractor Murray & Roberts Cementation has been awarded a R4.8-billion, five-year mining contract for the Kalagadi Manganese operation, in the Kalahari basin. The three farms on which the... 

Eastplats, Hebei Zhongbo agree on reworked PGMs deal

Eastern Platinum (Eastplats) has reached an in-principle agreement with Hebei Zhongbo Platinum to restructure a transaction that will see Hebei Zhongbo acquiring the company’s entire platinum group... 

First wolframite delivered from Zim mine

Multicommodity development company Premier African Minerals has produced the first coarse-grade wolframite concentrate at its flagship RHA tungsten project (RHA), in Zimbabwe, with fines... 

Community members accelerate bid against R564m Lonmin BEE deal

A rival grouping within the Bapo Ba Mogale Traditional Community, in the North West, is advancing its bid to have a landmark 2014 empowerment agreement negotiated between the community’s... 

Ichor to acquire troubled Continental Coal’s mines for R128m

Local coal producer IchorCoal has inked a deal to acquire stricken Continental Coal’s key 1.2-million-ton-a-year Vlakvarkfontein and stalled Penumbra mines, both in Mpumalanga, for R128-million.... 

DTI invites S African mining companies to participate in Aus trade visit

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has called on businesses in the mining and capital equipment, mineral beneficiation, electrotechnical and mining services sectors, as well as other... 

Hummingbird raises £3.5m for prospective Yanfolila gold play

West African gold explorer Hummingbird Resources has raised £3.5-million, before expenses, through the placing of 10.6-million new ordinary shares at 33p apiece, with the funds destined to advance... 

DRA readies for New Liberty gold plant handover

South Africa-based global engineering and project delivery group DRA on Friday said it was on target to hand the New Liberty gold plant over to owner, dual-listed Aureus Mining. DRA and Aureus... 

Shifting trade union loyalties likely to rattle upcoming gold wage talks

“Seismic shifts” in the country’s labour organisations look likely to make the forthcoming gold-sector wage negotiations – set to start on June 22 – more unpredictable than usual, with ructions in... 

‘Transitional’ Petra targets FY revenue of $430m

Describing itself as in “a transitional period”, Petra Diamonds on Friday said it expected its revenue for the full year to be around $430-million, owing to variability in its product mix The... 

Nine percent more plastic diverted from landfill in 2014

A survey on the 2014 performance of the South African plastics industry has shown that 1.4-million tons of plastics from domestic production and imported materials were converted over the year,... 

Global climate framework and emissions target critical, WEC says

The development of a clear climate framework and a global emissions target is essential if the $48-trillion to $53-trillion required for a new sustainable energy infrastructure is to be delivered,... 

R8m solar system for South Africa’s wool, mohair sector

The installation of an R8-million roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) energy harvesting system by diversified South African agribusiness BKB is set to provide energy to, and reduce the carbon... 

AfDB unit seeks comment on natural resources strategy

The African Development Bank’s (AfDB’s) newly established African Natural Resources Center (ANRC) has launched an online consultation to seek comments from stakeholders on its draft strategy for... 

Sable executive director Hochreiter resigns

Platinum and precious metals junior Sable Metals & Minerals has agreed to release director René Hochreiter from his contract with the company with effect from June 1. While resigning as executive... 

Pembani, Shanduka merger nears close

Shareholders of Pembani and empowerment group Shanduka have signed the transaction agreements and submitted the requisite regulatory filings related to the merger of the two companies to form a... 

Community members accelerate bid against R564m Lonmin BEE deal

A rival grouping within the Bapo Ba Mogale Traditional Community, in the North West, is advancing its bid to have a landmark 2014 empowerment agreement negotiated between the community’s... 

Ichor to acquire troubled Continental Coal’s mines for R128m

Local coal producer IchorCoal has inked a deal to acquire stricken Continental Coal’s key 1.2-million-ton-a-year Vlakvarkfontein and stalled Penumbra mines, both in Mpumalanga, for R128-million....