artisanal minerslatest news & developments
Trucks line up at the Machipanda border, a major economic link between Zimbabwean capital Harare and Mozambican port city Beira. Photo supplied

On the trail of lithium smugglers in Southern Africa

International intelligence data shows a recent boom in lithium exports from Southern Africa to Chinese markets. Where’s it coming from, and how does it get there?

  • Eyaaz
9 min read
According to Minister Ntshavheni, the miners were stuck in the depths of the earth, which was their own doing, and the state would not be involved in any rescue of “criminals”.

Stilfontein miners have human rights just like you, Minister Ntshavheni

Marikana was a precursor to Stifontein and show the lengths to which the state would go to punish people in protection of corporate interests, particularly in the mining industry

  • Eyaaz
5 min read
File photo: A vehicle of the Presidential Guard of Niger passes in front of the Niamey conference centre where the first summit of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) summit is held in Niamey on July 6, 2024. The military leaders ruling Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger entered a new “confederation” on July 6, 2024 as they signed a treaty during their first summit in Niamey, after having severed ties with an existing West African bloc. (Photo by BOUREIMA HAMA/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian fighters killed in major Mali battle highlight Kremlin’s diplomatic and security strategy in Africa

It is rumoured that the Kremlin could dispatch reinforcements to the Sahel to sustain its influence

  • Des Erasmus
4 min read
A South African Police Services (SAPS) and South African National Defence Force (SANDF) joint operation on illegal mining in Durban Deep on November 29, 2023 in Roodepoort, South Africa. Illegal mining has been a continuing threat in South Africa for decades, with poverty, unemployment and crime driving the underground industry. (Photo by Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo)

Artisanal miners ‘brutalised’ in SANDF clampdown

Army clampdown has led to assaults and the property of legal miners being confiscated

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read