Recent News

After enjoying one of the greatest mining booms in its history, Zambia is now suffering. The price of copper—a metal on which much of the country depends—has fallen by half in the last five years. This fall has resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs and the deterioration of …

It was very interesting listening to the plans of Botswana coal mining companies on South Africa call for 3 750 MW of cross- border power from independent power producers (IPPs). Much reference was made to a gazette notice put out by South Africa’s Department of Energy that opens the way …

Zambia’s copper output will rise by 5.5% to 750 000 t this year and output is expected to double to 1.5-million tonnes in 2017, Mines Minister Christopher Yaluma said. Copper production in Africa’s second-biggest producer of the metal was at 711 515 t in 2015. “It has to do with …

The South African mining industry is facing another challenging year with slower than expected economic growth, a prolonged and continuing downswing in commodity prices, an increase in short-term volatility, increased pressure on operating models, and regulatory uncertainty. Adding to these challenges is the increased difficulty in raising capital due to …

In recent years, an ongoing drought has caused a severe power crisis in Zambia. The new analysis “Power crisis and consequences for solar energy in the Zambian mining sector” from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in its role as facilitator of the Project Development Programme and THEnergy …

Aim-listed BMR said it had been approached for an offtake agreement for agricultural-grade zinc sulphate heptahydrate (ZSH) and lead sponge from its Kabwe project, in Zambia. The mineral processing group secured Zambia Environmental Management Agency approval for the environmental- and social-impact assessment for its tailings retreatment process and the construction …

Mining is poised to receive a spinoff benefit from Monday’s announcement that the power grid in Zambia is to be boosted by a $60-million investment. In this latest transaction, Standard Chartered bank has partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide a long-term loan to the …

Crane and hoist manufacturer Condra intends to focus on the continued supply of high-quality, robust and reliable products and lowering the overall lifetime maintenance costs of these products to foster a sustainable competitive advantage while miti- gating the major challenges currently faced by the South African materials handling industry. Condra …

A legal claim on behalf of 1 826 Zambian villagers against global diversified metals and mining company Vedanta Resources and its Zambian subsidiary Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has been given the go-ahead by a High Court judge to proceed in the UK courts. The judgment, handed down on Friday by …

There is a direct correlation between the market size of contract mining and the commodities cycle/prices and investment patterns in capital projects Historically, mining was a highly protected industry and had a low propensity for outsourcing, but more operations are being outsourced across Africa, says global consultant and adviser Deloitte. …