VZCZCXRO0759
RR RUEHJO
DE RUEHJO #0231/01 2151457
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031457Z AUG 07
FM AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0033
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 2644

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 JOHANNESBURG 000231 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS USAID 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS USGS 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS DOE 
 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EPET ENRG EINV EIND ETRD ECON ELAB KHIV SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA: MINERALS AND ENERGY NEWSLETTER "THE ASSAY" - 
ISSUE 7, MAY-JUNE 2007 
 
This cable is not for Internet distribution. 
 
 
 
¶1. (U) Introduction:  The purpose of this monthly newsletter, 
initiated in January 2004, is to highlight minerals and energy 
developments in South Africa.  This includes trade and 
investment as well as supply.  South Africa hosts world-class 
deposits of gold, diamonds, platinum group metals, chromium, 
zinc, titanium, vanadium, iron, manganese, antimony, 
vermiculite, zircon, alumino-silicates, fluorspar and phosphate 
rock, and is a major exporter of steam coal.  South Africa is 
also a leading producer and exporter of ferroalloys of chromium, 
vanadium, and manganese.  The information contained in the 
newsletters is based on public sources and does not reflect the 
views of the United States Government.  End introduction. 
 
 
 
--- 
 
Key 
 
--- 
 
¶2. (U) Key to some of the terminology and abbreviations used is 
given to facilitate understanding. 
 
 
 
BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) - the scheme whereby the South 
African Government promotes black participation in business. 
 
 
 
-         t = tons, 
 
-         t/d = tons per day, 
 
-         c/l = cents per liter, 
 
-         t/m = tons per month, 
 
-         t/y = tons per year, 
 
-         oz = troy ounces (31.1 grams), 
 
-         cmg = centimeter grams, 
 
-         mcf = million cubic feet, 
 
-         tcf = trillion cubic feet, 
 
-         R = SA currency (rand), 
 
-         MW = megawatts, 
 
-         kt = thousand tons, 
 
-         bbl/d = barrels per day, 
 
-         MW = megawatts, 
 
-         PGM = platinum group metals. 
 
 
 
-------- 
 
HOT NEWS 
 
-------- 
 
 
 
Skills Shortage Beginning to Bite 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) The shortage of management and technical skills was cited 
as one of the causes for the recent poor performance by Lonmin 
Platinum, the world's third biggest platinum producer.  In 
similar vein, Assmang, South Africa's second biggest producer of 
 
JOHANNESBU 00000231  002 OF 007 
 
 
iron ore has acknowledged (de facto) that it has a similar 
problem.  During the current set of industry wage negotiations, 
the minerals industry has resisted double-digit settlements.  By 
contrast, Assmang has signed an agreement with its three unions 
for a three-year wage deal that provides for a 15% wage increase 
in the first year and nine percent a year for the remaining two 
years.  This is substantially above the current (formal) 
inflation rate of 6.4%.  However, it probably takes into account 
the cost of a prolonged strike to the company, especially during 
booming demand for iron ore, and food price inflation that is 
between 8% and 9% for lower paid workers and 12% for poor rural 
dwellers who spend more than 50% of their income on food. 
Significantly, in terms of the agreement, a scarcity allowance 
of $300 per month will be paid to artisans.  This underscores 
the gravity of the skills shortage that the mines are 
experiencing and that is generally applicable throughout the 
country.  The Solidarity union has long asked companies to 
consider a skills allowance as a way of retaining skilled staff. 
 
 
 
 
Skills Trouble at Lonmin Platinum 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶4. (U) The performance of Lonmin Platinum (Lonplats), the 
world's third biggest platinum producer, has been a concern to 
the market for more than a year.  Problems relate to poor 
management and technical performance on their mines, smelters 
and refinery, which has impacted the company's financial 
performance.  The third quarter report reflects the difficulties 
that Lonplats is experiencing.  It points out that Lonplats has 
had to revise its full-year platinum sales expectations down 
from one million ounces to between 820,000 and 840,000 ounces as 
a result of the loss of key managers, decreasing grades, and 
reduced recoveries.  Part of the problem has been attributed to 
the fact that the top management of the group resides in London 
and the CEO only spends 10 days a month in South Africa 
attending to operations.  On the production side, smelter 
recoveries were down 10% due to lower grades and the changing 
mineral composition of the ore as more UG2 reef is mined - the 
UG2 contains more palladium and base metals than the traditional 
Merensky reef for which the plants were originally designed. 
This issue can only be resolved by changing the constituency of 
feed to the smelters and by restoring the integrity of the 
furnaces, which have had numerous shutdowns over the past few 
years. 
 
 
 
--------------------- 
 
U.S.-S.A. PARTNERSHIP 
 
--------------------- 
 
 
 
Geophysics Partnership between Pennsylvania State and 
Witwatersrand Universities 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) During July 16 to 18, the Johannesburg-based 
Witwatersrand University hosted the 3rd annual AfricaArray 
workshop.  AfricaArray is a joint Wits-Penn State initiative to 
support capacity building for Africa's resource sector in the 
field of seismic and remote sensing - used in exploration for 
minerals and petroleum, tsunami early warning systems, 
environmental monitoring (climate change), etc.  Wits is the 
only university in Africa with a recognized geophysics program 
and the objective of AfricaArray is to train geophysicists from 
the continent to be able to support their respective resource 
sectors.  The planned 20-year initiative provides training for 
African graduate students at both Wits and Penn State (and other 
institutions in the EU) and is in the process of establishing an 
array of scientific observatories and monitoring stations across 
the continent.  It is currently undertaking a number of research 
and exploration projects on the continent with funding provided 
by government institutions in the United States and South Africa 
 
JOHANNESBU 00000231  003 OF 007 
 
 
and by a number of multinational mining and oil companies.  The 
purpose of the workshop was to provide an update on progress, on 
research being undertaken, and plans for future work.  Walter 
Mooney of the USGS presented a paper on Earthquake and Tsunami 
Training in Africa. 
 
 
 
-------- 
 
PLATINUM 
 
-------- 
 
 
 
Consolidation for Junior Platinum Producers 
 
------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) The ongoing boom in price and demand for platinum in 
particular, but also for its co- and bye-products, such as 
rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, nickel, copper, cobalt and gold, 
has given rise to some 20 exploration and mining companies 
working on more than 30 new and expansion platinum projects on 
South Africa's Bushveld Complex.  Many of the companies are 
juniors and do not have the capacity to develop large mines on 
their own.  Most of these projects could not deliver more than 
250,000 ounces of platinum group metals each year, mainly in 
concentrate form, and would have to rely on external smelters 
and refineries to produce finished metal - roughly 1 million 
ounces per year is needed to justify a smelter-refinery complex. 
 The lack of these facilities will inevitably lead to 
consolidation of the smaller operations.  There are only three 
major players with refining and smelting capacity.  They are 
Anglo Platinum (Anglo Plats), Impala Platinum (Implats) and 
Lonmin Platinum (Lonplats).  Each currently has spare capacity 
and toll or purchase arrangements with smaller producers. 
 
 
 
Platinum Supply Increase by 50% 
 
------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) A junior mining platinum project review by the specialist 
banking group Investec, estimates that over the next five years 
2.5 million ounces of platinum will come from junior projects in 
South Africa and another 2 million ounces from expansions by the 
major companies.  Thus, the current annual platinum supply of 8 
million ounces could increase by more than 50%.  Demand is 
unlikely to increase by this amount and this would result in an 
over supply of platinum and the other platinum group metals, 
with a corresponding decrease in prices.  Investec does not 
expect all the junior projects to become mines because they lack 
the capacity to raise capital or to achieve production targets. 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) Currently, there are an estimated 17 shaft-sinking 
projects in southern Africa and just three companies to do the 
work.  Potential platinum producers have placed orders for long 
lead items and have secured shaft sinking contractors ahead of 
completing bankable feasibility studies to avoid the rush for 
supplies and services.  CEO of Wesizwe Platinum, a developing 
platinum project, believes that there are five to seven years 
left for the current high platinum group metal (PGM) prices and 
that juniors needed to get payback on projects in time to 
survive future softer prices.  If prices do come down, the 
majors, which supply 85% of the world's PGMs, would cut back on 
expansion plans.  In such an environment majors would likely buy 
out the more promising juniors to remove possible new ounces 
from the market.  However, other majors such as Gold Fields and 
Xstrata could well take the opportunity to get into the platinum 
business. 
 
 
 
INFRASTRUCTURE 
 
-------------- 
 
 
 
JOHANNESBU 00000231  004 OF 007 
 
 
 
Rail Link to New Coalfield 
 
-------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶9. (U) Coal has been produced from the Mpumalanga coalfields for 
nearly 100 years.  However, output really only escalated in the 
1970's when volume coal exports began and Sasol 2 and 3 plants 
were commissioned (oil from coal).  Currently, these two markets 
account for 155 million tons per year or 63% of total saleable 
coal production, most of which comes from Mpumalanga.  Reserves 
contained in these coalfields have declined and production is 
increasing from other more remote areas.  The Waterberg 
coalfield in Limpopo Province, which spills over into Botswana 
and becomes the Mmamabula coalfield, is estimated to contain 
about 40% of South Africa's remaining exploitable coal 
resources.  It already hosts the 17 million ton per year 
Grootegeluk coal mine which feeds the adjacent 4,200 Megawatt 
Matimba power station.  Additional development in the Waterberg 
proposes two similar-sized plants, one next to Matimba (Medupi) 
and another on the Botswana side.  However, if this coal is 
eventually to complement exports, an upgrade to the existing 
rail line is a necessity. 
 
 
 
¶10. (U) Spoornet, the state-owned railways utility has announced 
its intention to build a $2.3 billion rail line to connect the 
Waterberg coal mines to Coega, the deep water port under 
development in the Eastern Cape Province.  A further $114 
million is to be used to construct a rail link to Richards Bay 
Coal Terminal for export to Europe and China.  This new 
investment is in addition to the $5.1 billion already committed 
for the purchase of new locomotives and wagons and the 
installation of signal systems over the next five years. 
Although the power utility, Eskom, will use most of the coal 
from the new mines, substantial volumes will be available for 
export.  Spoornet has been blamed for chronic capacity 
constraints and operational inefficiencies, which caused most of 
its customers to move to road freighters - rail traffic grew by 
only 0.3% between 1993 and 2004, while road traffic rose 5%.  In 
addition, the number of new trucks on South Africa's roads rose 
by 16.5% over the past three years, whereas the number of 
locomotives and wagons decreased by 33% and 28%, respectively. 
This has caused substantial damage to roads on the affected 
routes.  Spoornet aims to increase its current 10% market share 
to at least 30% in the next five years. 
 
 
 
----------- 
 
ELECTRICITY 
 
----------- 
 
 
 
Cheap Energy a Thing of the Past 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶11. (U) The reserve margin for the state-owned power utility 
Eskom could fall to 3.8% next year if its peak demand forecast 
is correct.  Operational capacity will grow to 40,000 Megawatts 
(MW) next year from the current 38,200 MW, but the peak demand 
forecast of 38,500 MW could trim its reserve margin from 4.2% to 
3.8%.  Eskom's reserve margin will only start to widen when the 
new coal-fired Medupi station in Limpopo Province comes on 
stream from 2011.  Mozambican power imports give Eskom an 
additional 1,490 MW cushion, which will take its reserve to 
about 7.3% next year - the globally accepted reserve margin is 
15%.  Peak demand this year has already exceeded forecasts. 
Demand was expected to peak at 36,300 MW this winter, but 
reached 36,500 MW on June 27.  The return to service of three 
mothballed power stations will be completed by 2011, which will 
add 3,800 MW.  Likewise, independent producers will generate 
1,050 MW and the expansion of the Western Cape's open cycle gas 
turbine plants will add 2,000 MW by 2009.  Eskom wants to lift 
prices by 13 percentage points above CPIX (consumer price index 
excluding mortgages and currently running at 6.4%) from next 
 
JOHANNESBU 00000231  005 OF 007 
 
 
April and by 12% above CPIX in 2009.  This has still to be 
approved by the National Energy Regulator (NER). 
 
 
 
------------ 
 
FERRO-ALLOYS 
 
------------ 
 
 
 
Ferro-Chromium Production to Expand by 150% 
------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶12. (U) South Africa is the world's biggest producer of 
ferro-chrome metal.  On July 2006, International Ferro Metals 
(IFM) officially opened its Lesedi chromite mine at a ceremony 
attended by representatives of the South African, Chinese and 
Australian governments.  IFM is a joint venture between 
companies from these countries.  At the time, IFM also confirmed 
that the construction of the first phase of its integrated 
ferrochrome smelting and mining operation at Buffelsfontein in 
the North West province, was on schedule to achieve a production 
rate of 267,000 tons of ferrochrome per year by the end of 2007 
- phase 1 was officially opened in May 2007.  Ferro-chrome is a 
major constituent of stainless steel. 
 
 
 
¶13. (U) On July 9, IFM announced that it had begun a feasibility 
study to assess the viability of further expanding output from 
the Buffelsfontein facility to 665,000 tons per year.  The 
expansion would involve the installation of up to three 
additional 66 MVA furnaces, a 600,000 ton per year palletizing 
and sintering plant (for aggregating fine material), and a 1.1 
million ton per year beneficiation plant, at a capital cost of 
about $460 million.  The company said it expects ferro-chromium 
demand to grow by 66% between 2007 and 2015. The feasibility 
study is scheduled for completion in January 2008, with 
construction to start in March and ramp-up beginning in 
September 2009.  IFM has an off-take agreement with Jiuquan Iron 
& Steel Group Company (JISCO), the largest steel manufacturer in 
North West China, for approximately 40% of its ferrochrome 
production. 
 
 
 
-------- 
 
DIAMONDS 
 
-------- 
 
 
 
De Beers Can Again Buy Russian Diamonds 
 
--------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶14. (U) In February 2006, the European Commission ordered De 
Beers, the world's top diamond producer to stop buying rough 
diamonds from Alrosa of Russia, the second biggest diamond 
producer, on the grounds that this would constitute an abuse of 
monopoly power.  The decree was to take effect from 2009.  At 
the beginning of July, on appeal by Alrosa, the judgement was 
reversed by a top European court on the grounds that it was 
disproportionately harsh to prohibit all commercial relations 
between the two parties after 2009.  The court also said that EU 
regulators had not proved that the two companies held a dominant 
position in the EU market to justify limiting their business 
freedom.  The decision is not likely to have much effect on the 
way De Beers does business in other jurisdictions. 
 
 
 
¶15. (U) De Beers has been under legal pressures for decades due 
to its marketing practices.  In 2004, the company pleaded guilty 
to conspiring to fix prices for industrial diamonds and paid a 
$10 million fine.  This agreement cleared the way for it to 
 
JOHANNESBU 00000231  006 OF 007 
 
 
resume selling diamonds in the United States.  In November 2005, 
De Beers agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class action 
suite in the U.S., brought by previous clients and others who 
claimed that the company's marketing practices were 
discriminatory and a restraint of trade.   De Beers is also 
facing regulatory pressures in South Africa for allegedly 
exporting rough diamonds without properly offering stones to 
local cutters and polishers.  De Beers is also accused of not 
paying export taxes on a large parcel of diamonds exported just 
prior to the inauguration of the African National Congress (ANC) 
government in 1994.  The fear of being accused of 
anti-competitive behavior has effectively prohibited De Beers 
from buying other operational diamond mines.  As a result, 
during 2007 they will spend $100 million on searching for new 
mines. 
 
 
 
------ 
 
MINING 
 
------ 
 
 
 
South Africa's Mining Boom - Missed or Delayed? 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
 
 
¶16. (U) The decade beginning in the year 2001 has seen 
unprecedented demand and price increases for mineral 
commodities, driven principally by China and supported by growth 
in India, Russia and a number of countries in the Far East. 
Mineral and mineral-based products account for nearly half of 
South Africa's export revenues and more than one-sixth of its 
GDP.  Since the start of the commodities boom, South Africa's 
mineral revenues have increased, mainly as a result of rising 
prices, but production has not kept pace with international (and 
domestic) demand. 
 
 
 
¶17. (U) More worrying is that investment in mineral exploration 
and mining has lagged that of competitors, which in turn will 
delay the ability to increase output.  Between 2003 and 2006, 
South African exploration expenditures increased by 60% (mainly 
for platinum) while the global average increase was 120%, and 
South African capital investment decreased by 33%.  The SA 
Chamber of Mines (COM) blames this mainly on: new mining-related 
legislation and delays in processing license applications and 
permits.  However, other factors also contributed, such as 
currency volatility and cost escalations, skills shortages, and 
the time required to bring new production on line. 
 
 
 
¶18. (U) There is light at the end of the tunnel.  The most 
recent nine-month investment trend shows an 8% increase in 
investment and this is likely to be reinforced by government and 
industry commitments of tens of billions of dollars over the 
next five years.  Government has committed a total of $65 
billion to upgrade and expand power, water and bulk mineral 
transport infrastructure.  Industry has committed some $20 
billion to increase outputs of gold, platinum, coal, iron ore, 
uranium, ferro-alloys, and diamonds.  Provided that the demand 
for commodities continues, the country's participation in the 
commodities boom will have been delayed but not missed.  The 
investment drought is now over. 
 
 
 
----------- 
 
ENVIRONMENT 
 
----------- 
 
 
 
Green Tape Choking New Mine Developments 
 
---------------------------------------- 
 
JOHANNESBU 00000231  007 OF 007 
 
 
 
 
 
¶19. (U) Top government officials, including President Mbeki, and 
industry leaders have long complained about the onerous 
regulation and time required to get mining and exploration 
licenses.  The problem has been the number of departments 
involved, including the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME), 
the Department of the Environment (DEAT) and the Department of 
Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF).  All lack capacity, each have 
their own priorities and agendas, and there is little 
communication or cooperation between or within departments. 
This has been one of the major reasons for the delay in issuing 
licenses since 2004. 
 
 
 
¶20. (U) Now, Members of the Parliamentary Minerals and Energy 
Portfolio Committee have been told by DME that the regulatory 
environment is affecting mining, especially new projects.  The 
DME has accused "over-zealous officials" from the DEAT of 
demanding a parallel process of compliance for environmental 
impact assessments and of holding back mining projects that 
don't meet their criteria.  In terms of existing legislation, 
mining houses need only comply with the DME environmental 
management specs. 
 
 
 
No Scenic Beauty in Poverty - Clouds on Titanium Project 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
 
 
¶21. (U) The proposed Xolobeni Mining Project in the Eastern Cape 
is an example of the above "Green Tape" problem.  The Australian 
mining company MRC Resources has, after nearly three years of 
exploration and legal challenges by environmentalists, applied 
for a mining license from the Department of Minerals and Energy 
(DME), which has been accepted.  This could lead to a $2.5 
billion titanium mine and create 550 jobs in one of South 
Africa's poorest regions with the highest unemployment.  The 
area to be mined is a remote, difficult to access, severely 
eroded strip of land set back from the coast and away from 
estuaries and other sensitive areas with tourism potential. 
Exploration results show that the area hosts one of the world's 
top ten titanium resources containing an estimated nine million 
tons of titanium. 
 
 
 
¶22. (U) However, the area is also renowned for its natural 
beauty.  Ecologists want the area ring-fenced for tourism and 
protected for future generations.  They also oppose an extension 
to the N2 national highway that would open the area to mining, 
and presumably to tourism, which they also seem to oppose.  The 
local communities in favor of development say they are 
impoverished and have waited for the development and jobs 
promised from ecotourism but nothing has happened.  The mine 
will ensure that they finally have access to electricity, water, 
a sewerage system, and schools for their children.  South 
Africa's Mining Charter also provides for the local communities 
to buy (with government and industry assistance) a 26% stake in 
the mine.  The whole issue has fueled emotions in a classic 
standoff between ecologists and environmentalists on the one 
side and miners, the DME, and local communities on the other. 
The government is keen for the mine to go ahead but 
environmental challenges could still delay, if not permanently 
derail, production start up planned for 2010. 
 
COFFMAN## 
COFFMAN