London-listed URA holdings, which owns and operates the Gravelotte emerald mine in Limpopo, South Africa, has acquired a majority interest in Prasinus Exploration, the owner of the Curlew emerald mine, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. URA has acquired a 65% interest in Prasinus for A$450 000, or about £237 000, and has the option to acquire the remaining 35% interest for a further A$300 000, or £158 000, in URA shares after an initial 12-month period and expiring on October 18, 2025.
Migration to new mining cadastre expected to be completed by June 2025 – Mantashe
Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has said the migration to a new mining cadastre system is expected to be completed by June 2025. The former Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, which has been split in the seventh administration, in February announced the appointment of the PMG Consortium to design, implement and maintain the mining licensing system, or cadastre.
Evolution searching for new CEO to advance Tanzania graphite project
ASX-listed Evolution Energy Minerals CEO Phil Hoskins has resigned and will leave the company by no later than October, it was announced on Tuesday.
Evolution has started a process to identify a new CEO, who will be in charge of the successful development of the Chilalo graphite project, in Tanzania.
Paladin Energy aims to crack uranium big league with Canadian takeover
Paladin Energy’s top boss says its takeover of Fission Uranium Corp would make it the third-largest publicly traded uranium producer, offering investors an alternative in a sector dominated by two giants. Paladin would churn out 10% of global uranium output after combining production of its Namibian mine with Fission’s Canadian project when completed, CEO Ian Purdy said in a Wednesday interview in Toronto. That would lift Paladin’s ranking by output to third, behind top producer Kazatomprom, which is controlled by the government of Kazakhstan, and Canada’s Cameco Corp.
Cleaver, Newton-King join AngloGold board
Gold mining company AngloGold Ashanti has announced that former De Beers CEO Bruce Cleaver and former JSE CEO Nicky Newton-King have been appointed as independent nonexecutive directors with effect from July 22. Cleaver, who has commercial and mining experience, will serve as a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Social, Ethics and Sustainability Committee and Newton-King will serve as a member of the Compensation and Human Resources Committee and the Social, Ethics and Sustainability Committee.
Uasa, Petra Diamonds sign five-year wage agreement for Cullinan mine
Trade union Uasa has signed a five-year wage agreement with the management of the Cullinan mine, which is owned by London-listed Petra Diamonds.
The agreement is effective from July 1 this year to July 1, 2028, stipulating a 5.5% or consumer price inflation (CPI) increase for entry level, or C lower, employees for the first three years and a 6% increase in years four and five.
Kenmare on track to achieve full-year guidance
Titanium and zircon producer Kenmare Resources has confirmed in a July 17 trading update for the quarter and half-year ended June 30, that it is on track to achieve its full-year guidance on all stated metrics. Kenmare operates the Moma titanium minerals mine in northern Mozambique.
GoviEx hones in on Zambia project following Niger licence challenge
TSX-V-listed GoviEx Uranium says that, while it plans to fight for its rights at the Madaouela project, in Niger, the difficulties faced in that country present it with a unique opportunity to concentrate its efforts on its Muntanga project, in Zambia. The company reiterates that it was, nearly two weeks ago, informed by the Nigerien government that it no longer has rights over the perimeter of the mining permit for its Madaouela project, which reverted back to the public domain.
Critical Mineral Resources acquires project in Morocco
Exploration and development company Critical Mineral Resources (CMR), which is focused on critical metals and minerals, has signed an exclusive option to acquire the Igli project, a high-grade silver/ copper project in the Anti-Atlas, in Morocco, which has returned grades of up to 912 g/t silver and 2.97% copper. Concurrently, the company has also raised £750 000 through the issue of a convertible loan note (CLN) to fund the company’s working capital and capital expenditure requirements, including for exploration programmes at Igli.
Petra Diamonds focusing on refinancing $250-million loan notes
Having reset its cost base, delivering new life-of-mine (LoM) plans with a smooth capital profile, the focus of Petra Diamonds is very much on refinancing its $250-million loan notes. “We plan to get that done before the end of this calendar year,” Petra Diamonds CEO Richard Duffy outlined to Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)