The MiningWrap BriefNo. 25
Rising volumes, falling prices: Guinea's 2026 bauxite paradox
The week in African mining — 4 June 2026.
1MarketsRising volumes, falling prices: Guinea's 2026 bauxite paradoxGuinea's bauxite exports keep setting records in 2026, but free-on-board prices have slid to around $38-39 a dry tonne as oversupply and rising freight costs squeeze producer margins.
2GoldMali unrest cuts Syama output as Resolute warns of weak second quarterResolute Mining said Syama would produce only about 30,000oz in the June quarter, well below the 40,000-45,000oz expected, after security problems in Mali disrupted equipment deliveries and explosives supply.
3CopperMopani declines to use its 100,000t duty-free concentrate export quotaMopani Copper Mines said it has no plan to export concentrate under Zambia's latest duty waiver, despite receiving the largest allocation of 100,000t, and will instead feed its own smelter.
4Energy & InfrastructureTransnet completes R4bn tippler upgrade at Saldanha iron-ore terminalTransnet Port Terminals has finished testing a new R4bn tippler at Saldanha Bay, the terminal that handles about 96% of South Africa's iron-ore exports, with full handover due in September 2026.
5PGMWesizwe Platinum to cut 70% of staff as it abandons phased ramp-up planWesizwe Platinum will cut about 497 of its 706 employees as it scraps a phased ramp-up at its Bakubung mine in favour of jumping directly to 3.5 million tonnes a year of ore.