Southern Africa mining faces infrastructure hurdles

Significance

In part this is driven by sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine and wider supply chain disruptions. South Africa in particular also contains large coal reserves that could help compensate for the curtailment of Russian supplies.

Impacts

• Rail network and coal terminal problems will limit the growth of South African coal exports.
• Any mining boom will be uneven and there is little prospect for reviving South Africa's gold sector.
• Short-term metal prices may suffer due to global recession fears.
• A recent wage agreement at the South African power-generating parastatal Eskom may marginally ease load-shedding problems.