Transnet’s recovery deserves more credit
THE starting point of any successful turnaround is leadership. This is true in a business, a municipality and a country. When an organisation begins to deteriorate, its systems…
Transnet seeks private partner for R44bn manganese corridor
TRANSNET is seeking a private partner to help expand and operate a key manganese export corridor in a project that could cost as much as R44bn, Bloomberg reported. The…
Transnet is moving but a cash crisis looms
FOR most of the past decade Transnet has had an obvious problem: it wasn’t moving enough freight. Its latest results show good progress on that front, and suggest that the…
Transnet targets leap in coal exports despite cash squeeze
TRANSNET has targeted 65 million tons (Mt) in delivered coal exports after another year of rail volume growth, but debt and weak cash generation have put a brake on its ambition.…
Miners doubt if Transnet’s rail reform is bankable
SOUTH Africa’s freight rail reform has moved past the stage of being dismissed as another policy aspiration without a timetable. The Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM)…
SA coal exports may hit 75Mt supply ceiling, says Exxaro
SOUTH Africa’s coal industry may struggle to supply more than about 75 million tonnes a year to the Richards Bay export corridor even if Transnet restores rail capacity above…
Exxaro lifts Grootegeluk rail shipments 50%
EXXARO Resources has recorded a roughly 50% improvement in direct coal railings from its Grootegeluk mine in the Waterberg coalfield in Limpopo to Richards Bay, CEO Ben Magara…
Thungela ready to tap extra rail capacity with third-party coal
Thungela Resources could use further improvements in Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) capacity to move more third-party coal to Richards Bay, as its South African mines are already…
Thungela declares R5.50 interim dividend after stronger first half
Thungela Resources declared an interim dividend of R5.50 a share after reporting higher first-half earnings, supported by stronger coal prices and improved production. Earnings…
Kumba holds guidance despite costs, price pressure
KUMBA Iron Ore left production and cost guidance for the 2026 financial year unchanged despite being buffeted by freight and mining cost escalation in the first half of its year,…
SA coal exports could rise 10% in 2026, says terminal
THE Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) is running in line with its 2026 coal export volume forecast as of the end of June having exported just over 30 million tons (Mt) compared…
Worst rain in decades dampens Kumba Iron Ore earnings
RAIN and a stronger rand weighed on Kumba Iron Ore in the six months ended June, the Johannesburg-listed miner said in a trading update today. Headline earnings would come in…
Transnet’s TRIM scraps R1.1bn tender amid irregularities – report
TRANSNET Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), the newly formed state rail entity, has cancelled a R1.1bn request for proposals to lease out 11 rail sidings after bidders…
Thungela ices M&A to focus on “market confidence”
THUNGELA Resources has taken its foot off the diversification pedal telling analysts and investors last week that it was focusing on improving operational performance. “Our main…
BEE’s gaming problem, not racism, is driving a backlash
AT the Nedbank Top Empowerment Conference in Sandton last month, trade, industry & competition minister Parks Tau addressed the criticism that broad-based BEE (BBBEE) has…
Thungela’s Ensham misses out on coal export price boost
THUNGELA Resources has some serious catch up to do if it’s to meet year end export coal production guidance from its South African division. The R13.4bn miner reported 6.2…
Exxaro export coal prices surge amid Middle East conflict
EXPORT thermal coal markets improved in the first half of 2026, said Exxaro Resources, with the Johannesburg miner saying prices increased to as much as $124/t – a 35% lift –…
Afrimat is a victim of failed industrial policy in SA
AFRIMAT is one of those companies that is surviving despite the chaos of industrial policy. But how long can these companies remain afloat? Afrimat’s recently published full-year…
Can Afrimat put its year from hell behind it?
AFRIMAT CEO Andries van Heerden is optimistic that the business will look significantly better by the end of the financial year Afrimat has just had its toughest year since 2008:…
Can SA take Govt’s $121bn trains strategy seriously?
LATE last month, South Africa’s department of transport released for public comment its draft national master plan to revitalise, modernise and expand South Africa’s rail system,…