Donna Slater

https://staging1.creamermedia.com/

Donna Slater

Donna Slater is Creamer Media Features Deputy Editor and Chief Photographer for Engineering News and Mining Weekly.

Robex, Taurus sign financing deal to progress Kiniero gold project

25th January 2023 West African gold producer and developer Robex Resources has appointed Australian-based fund management firm Taurus Mining Finance Fund No.2 as exclusive arranger for a funding package of up to $115-million for the development of Robex’s Kiniero gold project in Guinea. Robex acquired Kiniero in... →

Renewed interest in Cape Town, Durban office space – Emira

25th January 2023 Real estate investment trust Emira Property Fund says it has received increased enquiries for office space in Cape Town and Durban – welcome news in markets that have suffered from rising vacancies in the wake of corporate downsizing and restructuring in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Emira... →

Newlands Terraces

AfriForum kicks off Project AfriEnergy with solar PV guide

24th January 2023 Civil rights organisation AfriForum has launched the first phase of the organisation’s three-phase plan – Project AfriEnergy – to help solve the prevailing electricity crisis in South Africa. The first phase focuses on short-term solutions, to which AfriForum released a guide to help households... →

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel

Technology startup funding up 8% to $6.5bn in 2022

24th January 2023 African technology startup investment platform Partech Africa’s recently released Africa technology venture capital report reveals that, despite the global venture capital downturn, the African technology ecosystem grew faster than all other markets globally. Total funding invested into... →

Kore updates DX project’s metrics

24th January 2023 Potash developer Kore Potash has updated the Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant mineral resource, ore reserve, prefeasibility study (PFS) information and production target for its 97%-owned DX project, in Congo-Brazzaville. The updated mineral resource – 129-million tonnes at an average... →

Perseus exceeds 2022 production guidance

24th January 2023 Africa-focussed gold producer Perseus Mining exceeded its 2022 gold production guidance of between 492 850 oz and 517 850 oz, and produced 521 221 oz at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of $941/oz. In the fourth quarter, Perseus produced 65 352 oz from its 90%-owned Yaouré mine, in Côte d’Ivoire;... →

High Court dismisses Mantashe’s firing of NNR communities board member

23rd January 2023 The Western Cape High Court has declared Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s decision to dismiss National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) board member responsible for communities Peter Becker from his duties, unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid. Becker was discharged from his... →

Orom-Cross definitive feasibility study assigned to CPC Engineering

23rd January 2023 Graphite, nickel and copper developer Blencowe Resources has engaged engineering firm CPC Engineering to lead, deliver and sign off on the definitive feasibility study (DFS) for its Orom-Cross graphite project, in Uganda. Blencowe says it has confidence in CPC as the firm has extensive... →

Explorer appointed for Kinusi copper prospect

20th January 2023 Africa-focused miner and developer Marula Mining has appointed exploration and mining services company Geofields Tanzania to explore for copper at the Kinusi copper project, in Tanzania, starting in February. Exploration at Kinusi will focus initially on the small-scale shallow copper mining... →

Airlink to resume Madagascar flights

20th January 2023 Southern African airline Airlink plans to restart scheduled services between South Africa and Madagascar from January 30 following an almost three year suspension. The Johannesburg to Antananarivo service will restart with a single weekly flight at 10:00 on Mondays, increasing to three flights... →

Botswana Diamonds completes Marsfontein construction

19th January 2023 LSE-listed diamond developer and miner Botswana Diamonds has completed construction of its Marsfontein alluvial project, in Limpopo, South Africa, and has started stripping of the overburden overlying the gravels. As such, MD James Campbell says production is imminent. →

AFC closes €150m ten-year loan facility with DEG, Proparco

19th January 2023 Infrastructure solutions provider Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has successfully closed a €150-million ten-year loan facility with European development finance institutions Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG) and Proparco. The new credit facility supports the development... →

Capital achieves revenue growth again, expands its drilling fleet

19th January 2023 London-listed mining services company Capital increased its 2022 revenue by 28% year-on-year to $290.3-million, slightly ahead of the upper end of its revised guidance of between $280-million and $290-million. This is the third consecutive year Capital delivered growth in revenue, following 68%... →

Godongwana appoints new Ombud Council chairperson, board member

18th January 2023 Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has appointed Silindile Kubheka as chairperson and Lebohang Senne as board member of the Ombud Council, both for a period of three years, effective February 1. Kubheka, currently Transnet group finance governance and risk compliance head, has served as a board... →

GoviEx to sell Mali subsidiary to AEM

18th January 2023 Uranium explorer and developer GoviEx Uranium has entered into a $5.5-million agreement with African Energy Metals (AEM) for the latter to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of GoviEx’s wholly-owned Malian subsidiary Delta Exploration Mali. Delta holds three contiguous exploration... →

Transparency-boosting Battery Passport proof-of-concept launched at Davos

18th January 2023 Multistakeholder organisation the Global Battery Alliance (GBA) launched a proof-of-concept for its Battery Passport at the World Economic Forum’s yearly meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on January 18. With the aim of establishing a sustainable battery value chain by 2030, the GBA’s Battery... →

High-grade results follow exploration at Yaouré gold mine

18th January 2023 Ongoing exploration at gold miner Perseus Mining’s Yaouré gold mine, in Côte d’Ivoire, has returned high-grade results from CMA Northwest and CMA North targets, down dip from the recently announced underground ore reserves, demonstrating potential for further underground resources growth. Infill... →

Galileo buoyed by encouraging prospecting at Shinganda

18th January 2023 Diversified explorer and developer Galileo Resources reports that nine angled diamond drill holes, the assaying of which has been completed, at its Zambia-based Shinganda outcrop prospect confirm a supergene copper/gold mineralised gossan zone containing malachite, chalcocite, native copper and... →

UK, Saudi Arabia to deepen critical minerals collaboration

17th January 2023 UK Business Secretary Grant Shapps agreed, on January 11, to deepen the UK’s collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on critical minerals, demonstrating the UK government’s ambitions for building more resilient critical minerals supply chains. He made the agreement with Saudi Arabia... →

UK Business Secretary Grant Shapps and Saudi Arabia Industry and Mineral Resources Minister Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef at Riyadh during the Future Minerals Forum.

BlueRock ramps up waste stripping

17th January 2023 Aim-listed diamond producer BlueRock Diamonds reports that waste stripping increased in December as mining activities at its Kareevlei diamond mine, in Kimberley, South Africa, returned to normal after the focus was shifted to ore from the KV2 resource to feed the plant to determine the realistic... →

Buffalo Coal settles R32.58m loan

16th January 2023 JSE- and TSX-V-listed South African coal producer Buffalo Coal Corporation settled its outstanding loan facility of R32.58-million with Investec Bank as of January 12, including interest along with a reduced royalty amount agreed to with Investec of R2.5-million. As such, Investec has started... →

Caracal seeking a new chairperson

16th January 2023 East African gold producer Caracal Gold reports that its nonexecutive chairperson Simon Thomas has resigned with immediate effect as of January 13. The miner notes that it is in “advanced discussions” with a potential replacement chairperson, who will be appointed in due course. →

Liebherr agrees to repay R54m to Transnet in port cranes case

13th January 2023 State-owned Transnet and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) have concluded a settlement agreement with heavy machinery company Liebherr to repay R54-million to Transnet, regarding the award of two tenders in 2013 and 2014 for the supply of cranes to Transnet. The SIU found that the decision to... →

1.4 MWh battery arrives in Australia for testing on 240 t mining haul truck

13th January 2023 Battery and vehicle controller system WAE Technologies has completed and delivered to Australia the largest battery of its kind, ready to be installed in a 240 t prototype zero-emission battery-electric mining haul truck. The battery has now arrived at Fortescue’s workshop in Perth, Western... →

Battery components at Fortescue's workshop in Perth, Australia

Research team develops plans to use old mines as power generating plants

13th January 2023 An international team of researchers have developed a method to store kinetic energy, which can later be converted to electrical energy, using decommissioned underground mines. The Underground Gravity Energy Storage (UGES) concept, developed through a study led by the International Institute for... →

An illustration of how the Underground Gravity Energy Storage concept works

Godongwana says Eskom, crime key disruptors to South Africa’s investment case

12th January 2023 Ahead of South Africa’s government delegation traveling to Davos, Switzerland, to take part in the upcoming yearly World Economic Forum, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says South Africa’s electricity crisis and high crime rates are chief among the challenges faced by the country, requiring... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana

M&A activity impacted on several fronts in 2022 – HSF

11th January 2023 Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity was impacted negatively in the second half of 2022 as a result of several factors, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, inflation, interest rate rises and political uncertainty, reports professional services firm Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF). The firm... →

Orom-Cross graphite sample export greenlighted by Uganda government

11th January 2023 Graphite, nickel and copper developer Blencowe Resources has received approval from the Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to export materials from its Orom-Cross graphite project to China-based Jilin Huiyang New Material Technology Company (JHNMTC) to enable final bulk... →

€25m loan pledged for 44 MW Côte d’Ivoire hydroelectric plant

10th January 2023 Infrastructure development funds, Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) and Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), have announced a €25-million finance facility to Ivoire Hydro Energy (IHE), which will build a 44 MW hydroelectric generation plant on the Bandama river near the... →

Gold posts marginal gain in 2022, up 3% in December – WGC

10th January 2023 A 3% gain in December, owing to a weaker dollar, took the value of gold to $1 814/oz, resulting in a year-on-year gain of 0.4% – something the World Gold Council (WGC) says looked unlikely to many just two months ago. The WGC says 2022 provided a “textbook” example of how diverse sources of... →

December PMI rises to 53.1, underlying factors mixed

9th January 2023 Financial services provider Absa’s seasonally-adjusted Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose for a third month to reach 53.1 index points in December, slightly up from the 52.6 points recorded in November. However, Absa notes that while the PMI is positive, underlying factors are mixed – the... →

Water engineers allegedly robbed, held hostage in uMkhanyakude district

21st December 2022 Richards Bay-based water board Mhlathuze Water says it is with “shock and regret” that it has learnt of the hijacking and robbery of an engineering consultant engaged by it to assist in the restoration of water infrastructure in the uMkhanyakude district, in the far north of KwaZulu-Natal. On... →

Africa can produce 50Mt/y of green hydrogen at less than €2/kg by 2035, report shows

21st December 2022 If Africa is able to exploit its solar potential and produce 50-million tonnes of green hydrogen a year by 2035, the continent will be able to create jobs, decarbonise heavy industry, enhance global competitiveness and transform access to clean water and sustainable energy, a new report shows.... →

Jupiter overcomes third-quarter challenges that dented production, sales

21st December 2022 Several issues, including contractor drill rigs and a strike by employees of South African rail and ports operator Transnet, negatively impacted on the production of ASX-listed Jupiter Mines’ Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining subsidiary in the quarter ended November 30. Tshipi é Ntle's Tshipi Borwa... →

Ironveld’s ferrochrome furnace acquisition purchase agreements agreed, signed

21st December 2022 Iron, vanadium and titanium miner Ironveld reports that its purchase of Rustenburg-based Ferrochrome Furnaces is progressing, with all material underlying agreements required under a debt purchase agreement and share purchase agreement having been signed. The company notes that the timing of the... →

Sigma starts Greentech plant commissioning on time, within budget

21st December 2022 Sigma Lithium has started commissioning the first module of the Phase 1 production plant – the Greentech Plant – at its 100%-owned Grota do Cirilo project, in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, on schedule and within budget, with the dry module crushing circuit having started in mid-December. All tests... →

loneer a step closer to Rhyolite Ridge construction

21st December 2022 Emerging lithium-boron supplier Ioneer reports that its Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project in Esmeralda County, Nevada, has advanced into the final stage of federal permitting with the decision by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to publish a notice of intent (NOI) in the Federal... →

PIC lifts stake in Afrimat to 15.48%

21st December 2022 The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has increased its shareholding in JSE-listed industrial minerals, bulk commodities and construction materials miner Afrimat to 15.48%. The Afrimat group supplies a range of products ranging from construction materials including aggregates, bricks, blocks,... →

Kazera inks deal to sell African Tantalum to Hebei Xinjian

20th December 2022 Aim-listed investment company Kazera Global has signed a definitive agreement to sell its 100% interest in African Tantalum (Aftan) to Hebei Xinjian Construction (Xinjian) for $13-million. The sale of Aftan – which is the holding company for Kazera's interest in the Tantalum Valley mine, in... →

Global commodities market volatility to ease in 2023 after disruptive 2022 – ERG

20th December 2022 As a result of short-term price drivers, such as the ongoing Covid-19 lockdowns in China, monetary policy in the US and the fallout from the energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, most commodity prices sold off sharply this year – a trend that is likely to ease in 2023, says... →

Afreximbank launches platform to promote African trade

20th December 2022 The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has operationally launched the Afreximbank TRADAR Club – a member-driven network aimed at empowering international businesses and executives to transform trade and investments in Africa through trusted trade intelligence and advisory services.... →

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