| MINING PRODUCTION |
| July mining output increases 6.7%, PGMs up 11.7% |
| South Africa's mining production increased by 6.7% year-on-year in July, from a revised increase of 4.7% in June – the third consecutive monthly increase, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reported on Thursday. Platinum group metals (PGMs) output increased by 11.7% year-on-year, while manganese ore and iron-ore production climbed 33.4% and 24.7%, respectively. Gold output declined 5% year-on-year. Full Article |
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| LABOUR |
| Amplats workers joining strike |
| JSE-listed platinum producer Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) on Thursday confirmed that a small group of employees have resubmitted a memorandum of demands that management reportedly received in July. This followed Amplats' voluntary shut down of its operations in Rustenburg on Wednesday, to ensure the safety of its employees as intimidation in the area spread. Full Article |
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| STRIKES |
| Unrest will not help miners – Zuma |
| Illegal strikes, incitement, and intimidation after the Marikana tragedy will not assist workers, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday. "Instead, it will make them and the country worse off," he told the National Assembly during question time. Full Article |
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| MINE PROTEST |
| Miners pressure ANC with new strike call |
| The leader of a major protest by South African platinum miners called on Thursday for a national strike in the sector, deepening an industrial crisis that is evolving into the biggest threat to the ruling ANC since it came to power in 1994. "On Sunday, we are starting with a general strike here in Rustenburg," demonstration leader Mametlwe Sebei told several thousand workers at a soccer stadium in the heart of the platinum belt near Rustenburg, 100 km northwest of Johannesburg. Full Article |
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| GOLD |
| Two killed in Harmony Joel mine explosion |
| JSE-listed gold mining company Harmony Gold has suspended all drilling and blasting activities at its Joel mine, near Theunissen, in the Free State, following a fatal underground explosion on Wednesday afternoon. Two contract workers were killed and another two injured in the blast. The two workers were reported to be in a stable condition. Full Article |
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| COAL & ELECTRICITY |
| Ncondezi Coal eyes 2017 start-up for Mozambique power project |
| Aim-listed Ncondezi Coal on Thursday published the results of a definitive feasibility study (DFS) on a proposed 1 800 MW mine-mouth coal-fired power plant at the company's namesake project, in the Tete province of Mozambique. Ncondezi, which earlier confirmed the economic and technical viability of the project, said that it would develop the coal-fired plant in phases of 300 MW each, with targeted expansion to 1 800 MW by 2023, in conjunction with a still undecided-on strategic partner. Full Article |
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| MINING & ELECTRICITY |
| Zimbabwe aims for 10 000 MW on the grid by 2040 |
| Zimbabwe is continuing to invest in new power generation capacity to close its supply gap, officials from the energy regulatory authority and national power supplier told delegates at the yearly Mining Indaba in Harare on Thursday. Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) chairperson Canada Malunga said the government had launched its National Energy Policy (NEP) last week, outlining the strategies and measures for increasing electricity capacity. Full Article |
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| IPO POTENTIAL |
| Billionaire Friedland back in fray with IPO for Africa projects |
| Robert Friedland, one of the mining industry's most successful and colourful entrepreneurs, has begun the long-awaited process of selling shares in his new venture Ivanplats, hoping to raise cash to develop copper, zinc and platinum deposits in Africa. Chicago-born billionaire Friedland is known in the industry for his showmanship, flamboyance and occasionally abrasive manner, almost as much as for his formidable talent in spotting the potential of some of the industry's biggest deposits, from the Voisey's Bay nickel deposit in north Canada to Mongolia's Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold deposit, one of the world's largest. Full Article |
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| LEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENT |
| Australia miners slam brakes on huge pipeline of projects |
| A $246-billion pipeline of planned mining investments in Australia is on increasingly shaky ground, with nearly half already frozen or likely to be delayed, as miners and lenders wrestle with high costs and sliding revenue. A sharp fall in iron ore and coal prices, driven by a drop-off in demand from China, has caught many by surprise and forced miners -- from the world's largest, BHP Billiton , down to the smallest -- to review their investment plans. Full Article |
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| CARBON DISCLOSURE |
| Two SA mining firms among top carbon disclosure leaders |
| South African mining firms Anglo American and its 80%-owned subisdiary South African mining firms Anglo American and its 80%-owned subisdiary Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) are included in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) which forms part of the UK-based Carbon Disclosure Project's (CDP's) 'Global 500 Climate Change Report' released this week. Johannesburg- and London-listed Anglo American was also included in the Carbon Performance Leadership Index. Full Article |
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| PROFITS TAX |
| Côte d'Ivoire plans windfall profit tax on gold miners |
| Côte d'Ivoire will unveil a windfall profits tax on gold miners to ensure the country benefits from higher world prices for the precious metal, an official said on Wednesday, the latest in a string of moves by African governments to boost state share in resource revenues. The new tax will yield some 40-billion CFA francs ($79-million) in additional revenue to the West African state this year, government spokesman Bruno Kone said, without giving specific details on how the tax would work. Full Article |
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