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Construction of the Msikaba Bridge project, which is valued at R1.72-billion, is now firmly under way after being disrupted by the Covid-19 lockdowns. The 580-m span, 195-m high, cable-stay bridge is anticipated to be completed at the end of February 2025, and will be the longest cable-stay bridge in Africa. The bridge is being built near Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape, over the Msikaba gorge. The bridge forms part of the R20-billion South African National Roads Agency’s N2 Wild Coast project.

The appointment of a dedicated Minister of Electricity was meant to ensure there was an individual to focus full-time on ending loadshedding and ensuring that the widely consulted Energy Action Plan (EAP) was implemented without delay. Since the appointment, however, there have been power struggles over Ministerial powers, mixed messages over the EAP and general confusion over who is actually in charge of what. If it doesn’t settle soon, the loadshedding outlook will become even more dire than it already is.

A video round up of this week’s magazine, highlighting our cover story, features and Business Leader.

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer notes that Glencore will study the feasibility of the creation of a hydrometallurgical facility in Italy; Sibanye-Stillwater is pushing on with its own generation of energy; and exploration investment in South Africa needs to be made more attractive.  

The automotive market will remain the biggest demand segment for platinum for the foreseeable future, comprising between 31% and 46% of total demand, as it has for the last five years, reports the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC). The industrial segment comprises between 26% and 36% of total platinum demand, while the jewellery segment makes up between 23% and 30% of platinum demand. The balance of demand is driven by investment, in platinum exchange traded funds for example, and remains the segment with the most variable demand.