Leandi Kolver

https://staging1.creamermedia.com/

Leandi Kolver

Leandi Kolver is Creamer Media Deputy Editor Features for Engineering News and Mining Weekly.

Tel: +2711 622 3744

Email: newsdesk@engineeringnews.co.za

Competition Tribunal confirms Giuricich settlement

4th December 2014 The Competition Tribunal on Wednesday confirmed the R149 429.31 collusion settlement agreement between the Competition Commission and Giuricich Coastal Projects. The construction company had admitted to colluding with competitors on a 2008 project for the construction of a parking lot garage at... →

First diamonds exported from Baoulé trail mining

4th December 2014 The first diamonds have been exported from Aim-listed Stellar Diamonds’ 75%-owned Baoulé project, in Guinea, the company announced on Thursday. The parcel of 941 ct, including gem diamonds up to 9 ct in size, had been exported to Antwerp, where it would be sold later this month. →

Study shows economic benefit of concurrent openpit mining, underground development at Tongo

3rd December 2014 An independent study undertaken at Aim-listed diamond development company Stellar Diamonds’ 100%-owned Tongo kimberlite Dyke-1 project, in Sierra Leone, has shown attractive economics for concurrent surface openpit mining and underground mine development, the company announced on Wednesday.... →

Colluli PFS will determine project balance – South Boulder CEO

3rd December 2014 The prefeasibility study (PFS) of ASX-listed South Boulder Mines’ (SBM’s) Colluli project, in Eritrea, was an exercise of scale through which the company would determine the correct balance between risk mitigation, fundability and the economic return of the project, South Boulder CEO and MD Paul... →

Neasa appeals Labour Court judgment, requests Minister to hold off on decision

3rd December 2014 The National Employers Association of South Africa (Neasa) on Tuesday filed an urgent application for leave to appeal Justice Hilary Rabkin-Naiker’s December 1 judgment dismissing its urgent application to prevent the Metal and Engineering Industry Bargaining Council (MEIBC) from requesting... →

Business confidence rises in Nov as BCI moves away from ‘desperate’ levels

3rd December 2014 Business confidence improved during November, with the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) Business Confidence Index (BCI) having gained two index points to 90.8. Sacci stated that, while the despairing mood in the business environment seemed to be losing its grip, with the BCI... →

PPC to reconstitute board at January AGM, Sibiya stepping down

3rd December 2014 Cement producer PPC on Wednesday announced that it would no longer hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on December 8 to consider the proposed removal of the company’s entire board, as well as the proposed election to the board of certain other persons. The company said that, following... →

PPC chairperson Bheki Sibiya

Amendments to e-Road regulations published for public comment

3rd December 2014 Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has published various amendments to the Gauteng e-Road regulations in the Government Gazette for public comment. Among the proposed amendments was a requirement that “foreigners” now had to “comply with the provisions relating to the payment of tolls in accordance... →

Construction started on Ekurhuleni IRPTN

2nd December 2014 Construction has started on the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality’s new Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) service that would connect the nine separate towns of Gauteng’s East Rand, through integrating new bus networks, existing bus services, revitalised rail networks, existing... →

PEA determines IRR of 267% for Blanket mine

2nd December 2014 A preliminary economic assessment (PEA) based on triple-listed Caledonia Mining’s 49%-owned Blanket mine’s revised investment plan has determined an internal rate of return (IRR) of 267% for the project. The study also calculated a net present value for the mine, arising from reserves and the... →

Assore to subscribe for up to 30.3% in IronRidge

2nd December 2014 JSE-listed mining holding company Assore would subscribe for 70.83-million shares in Australia-based explorer IronRidge Resources for £6.98-million. Depending on the amount of equity raised by IronRidge upon listing on the Aim in January, this would result in Assore holding between 26.7% and... →

Beacon Hill updates finance arrangements, strengthens balance sheet to provide solid foundation for growth

1st December 2014 Aim-listed Beacon Hill Resources has updated its financing arrangements and restructured its debt in an attempt to strengthen and de-risk its balance sheet to provide a more solid foundation for future growth as it targeted more economic and competitive coking coal production from 2016 onwards.... →

Rhodes professor appointed to UN advisory panel

1st December 2014 Rhodes University Distinguished Professor Tebello Nyokong has been appointed to a United Nations (UN) high-level panel to advise on the organisational and operational aspects of the proposed Technology Bank and Science, Technology and Innovation Supporting Mechanism dedicated to the... →

Rhodes University Distinguished Professor Tebello Nyokong

New maritime division to open new markets for Denel

1st December 2014 Through the establishment of the new Denel Integrated Systems and Maritime (DISM) division, State-owned Denel was adding to its existing strengths in the landward and aerospace arenas, while also opening up new markets for the company, group CEO Riaz Saloojee said on Monday. The creation of the... →

Photo by Duane Daws
Denel CEO Riaz Saloojee

RCPP definitive mining feasibility study enhances project attractiveness

1st December 2014 The definitive mining feasibility study for Tanzania-focused mineral exploration and development company Kibo Mining’s Rukwa Coal to Power Project (RCPP) has determined that its expected deliverable margin a tonne and overall estimated profitability is likely to be higher than initially expected.... →

Labour Court dismisses Neasa application

1st December 2014 The Labour Court in Johannesburg on Monday dismissed an urgent application by the National Employers Association of South Africa (Neasa) to prevent the Metal and Engineering Industry Bargaining Council (MEIBC) from requesting Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant to extend a July agreement between the... →

Edenville to identify near-term revenue opportunities to underpin Rukwa strategy

1st December 2014 African coal explorer Edenville Energy was seeking to identify near-term revenue opportunities to reduce its reliance on external financing, as well as to fulfill its longer-term objective of supporting a power solution in western Tanzania. “The company is in the early stages of identifying... →

$113m to be released to Nautilus next month on completion of State agreement

28th November 2014 Prospective seafloor miner Nautilus Minerals on Friday announced that $113-million that had been placed into escrow in May, would be released to the company on December 11, on the completion of the sale of 15% of its Solwara 1 project, offshore Papua New Guinea, to Eda Kopa (Solwara), which had... →

Festo promoting skills development through WorldSkills association

28th November 2014 Through hosting the WorldSkills 2014 competition’s mechatronic pre-national finals, industrial control and automation company Festo would promote and support skills development. Festo said the mechatronic competition would give schoolchildren, trainees and students insight into what skills a... →

R10bn set aside for Witwatersrand AMD mitigation

28th November 2014 The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has set aside an estimated R10-billion to mitigate acid mine drainage in the Witwatersrand goldfields. In a statement issued following a meeting between Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane and mining experts on Friday, the DWS said this... →

Oakbay lists on JSE

28th November 2014 Investment holding company Oakbay Resources and Energy on Friday listed on the JSE’s main board, becoming the sixteenth company to list this year. The company held a 74% interest in Shiva Uranium, previously Uranium One Africa, which focused primarily on uranium and gold deposits with its main... →

GoldStone to focus on Homase/Akrokerri project

28th November 2014 Following the acquisition of a 33.45% controlling interest in Aim-listed GoldStone by exploration and development company Stratex, GoldStone’s newly constituted board has decided that the company’s exploration efforts going forward would be primarily directed at its Homase/Akrokerri project, in... →

Stellar reports higher Tongo Dyke-1 reserves, diamond grade

28th November 2014 Aim-listed Stellar Diamonds on Friday announced a 35% increase in the Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (Jorc-) compliant inferred resource for its 100%-owned Tongo kimberlite Dyke-1 project, in Sierra Leone. The project’s Jorc-compliant inferred resource now stood at 1.45-million carats, with bulk... →

Adoption of Bali package puts WTO negotiations ‘back on track’

28th November 2014 The World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Thursday adopted the Bali trade reform package, putting the organisation’s negotiations back on track, WTO director general Roberto Azevêdo said. The 160 WTO members on Thursday took three decisions –clarifying the Bali Decision on Public Stockholding for... →

WTO director general Roberto Azevêdo

Osisko closes C$100m credit facility

28th November 2014 Gold-focused royalty and stream company Osisko Gold Royalties has closed its C$100-million revolving credit facility with the National Bank of Canada. The credit facility, which could be increased by C$50-million at Osisko’s request, would be used for investments in the mineral industry,... →

TVIRD enters into C$2m finance negotiations with Mindoro

28th November 2014 The Philippine affiliate of resource company TVI Pacific, TVI Resource Development (TVIRD), on Thursday announced that it was in negotiations to provide its joint venture partner in the Agata Mining Venture, Mindoro Resources, with C$2-million in convertible debenture financing. The financing... →

Sisulu presses Transnet for pledge of unused land for housing developments

28th November 2014 Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is putting pressure on State-owned freight and logistics company Transnet to pledge its unused land to be transferred to government for housing development. “Perhaps we will have a pledge here that any land they are not using we can take,” the Minister... →

Amec, Foster Wheeler merge to create engineering major

28th November 2014 Engineering and project management company Amec has completed its merger with Switzerland-headquartered global engineering and construction company and power equipment supplier Foster Wheeler. The newly created company, called Amec Foster Wheeler, had an annualised scope revenue of £5.5-billion... →

Construction starts on 4.5 MW Free State hydropower plant

28th November 2014 Construction has started on the 4.5 MW Stortemelk hydropower plant, in the Free State, with engineering, management and specialist technical services company Aurecon having been appointed as the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services provider for the implementation... →

Eskom UCG commercialisation date ‘slips’ amid permitting delays

28th November 2014 State-owned power utility Eskom is no longer targeting 2017 for the commercialisation of underground coal gasification (UCG) at its Majuba power station, in Mpumalanga, owing to delays in receiving regulatory approvals. The utility said in October last year that it would start work on a... →

Mining equipment market recovery expected from 2016 onwards – Barloworld

28th November 2014 Although the mining environment was expected to remain tough in 2015, JSE-listed Barloworld expected to see a recovery in terms of mining equipment deliveries from the 2016 financial year onwards, CE Clive Thomson said on Monday. Speaking at a presentation of the company’s results for the year... →

Work started towards defining Agata limestone resource

27th November 2014 Joint venture company Agata Mining Ventures (AMVI) has started with an exploration programme aimed at defining a National Instrument (NI) 43-101-compliant resource estimate at its Agata limestone project, in the Philippines. The NI 43-101 report was expected to be released following the... →

Competition Commission recommends approval of Anglo American, Samancor transaction

27th November 2014 The Competition Commission on Thursday recommended the approval of the merger that would see mining major Anglo American gain joint control over Samancor, without conditions. Anglo American already held a 40% stake in Samancor, with mining company BHP Billiton holding the remainder; however, BHP... →

Sustainability reporting on the rise among JSE-listed companies

27th November 2014 This year, 82 companies met the JSE’s Socially Responsible Index (SRI) requirements relating to environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies and management practices, compared with only 72 companies in 2013, as companies become more aware of how they communicate sustainability management... →

New HySA centre to promote PGM beneficiation, SA’s hydrogen economy

27th November 2014 The work of the newly launched Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) Infrastructure facilities located at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), in Pretoria, would promote South Africa’s hydrogen economy, as well as the beneficiation of platinum-group metals (PGMs), CSIR CEO Sibusiso... →

HySA facility at the CSIR

Mponeng stoping, development activities halted following fatality

27th November 2014 Stoping and development activities at gold miner AngloGold Ashanti’s Mponeng mine, near Carletonville, have been suspended following the death of an employee. The deceased, a scraper winch operator, had been fatally injured in a fall-of-ground incident on Tuesday. →

Glencore Finance extends, increases Katanga loan facilities

27th November 2014 TSX-listed Katanga Mining on Wednesday announced the execution of extended and increased loan facilities with Glencore Finance. Katanga said the maturity date of its existing term loan facility agreement with Glencore Finance, which had been used to fund, in substantial part, the redemption of... →

AMVI modifying DSO operations to increase Agata revenue

26th November 2014 Joint venture company Agata Mining Ventures (AMVI) was modifying its high-iron/low nickel direct shipping ore (DSO) operations to include shipments of ore containing higher nickel content to increase revenues at its Agata nickel laterite project in the Philippines. AMVI, in which TVI Resource... →

ABG shareholders approve name change to Acacia Mining

26th November 2014 African Barrick Gold (ABG) shareholders on Wednesday voted in favour of the company’s proposed name change to Acacia Mining, with the new name to come into effect on Thursday. ABG earlier this month explained that its core objective was to develop a business that was recognised as a leading... →

SA coal-related R&D inadequate – ASSAf

26th November 2014 South Africa’s investment in coal-related research and development (R&D) was inadequate, given the fact that coal would continue to dominate the country’s energy supply for the foreseeable future, a recent study by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) showed. In its study, titled ‘The... →

Ash plant equipment failure results in higher emissions from Lethabo power station

26th November 2014 State-owned power utility Eskom on Wednesday said its Lethabo power station, in the Free State, was experiencing “very high emissions” on four of its six units as a result of the failure of ash plant equipment. The utility explained that the failure of equipment used for moving ash to the ash... →

Lethabo power station

About

Engineering News is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa
Polity

Newsletters

Sign up for our FREE daily email newsletter

Receive daily sector news alerts

More

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Engineering News is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options

Subscribe