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/ 29 February 2008
The retail price of all grades of petrol will increase by 61 cents per litre on Wednesday March 5 after increasing by 17 cents a litre last month, the Department of Minerals and Energy announced on Friday. The retail price of a litre of 95 octane unleaded petrol in Gauteng increases to R8,25, and to R8,01 at the coast — new highs.
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/ 21 February 2008
DRDGold said on Thursday that it will push ahead with South African gold mining as well as dump-retreatment projects despite power concerns. The government, Eskom and key consumers should cooperate to find workable solutions to the power dilemma, said chief executive John Sayers in announcing the company’s latest financial results.
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/ 1 February 2008
South African petrol prices will increase by 17 cents, or 2,3%, to R7,64 a litre for all grades next Wednesday, the government said on Friday. A statement from the Department of Minerals and Energy said the wholesale price of diesel would go up by 7 cents to R7,32. High fuel and food prices have been the main driver for consumer inflation.
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/ 25 January 2008
If, back in the 1990s, the government had chosen to spend billions of rands on new power stations instead of armaments, South Africa would not now be facing an electricity crisis, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Friday. ”It chose to spend billions of rands on arms that we do not need,” she said.
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/ 21 January 2008
South Africa was set on Monday to ration electricity in a bid to stem a spiralling crisis that has dealt a severe blow to its status as the continent’s economic powerhouse. After mounting anger over daily power cuts that have cost business hundreds of millions of rands, the government said it was drawing up plans that could see consumers fined if they exceed set quotas.
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/ 27 December 2007
The retail price of all grades of petrol will remain unchanged on Wednesday January 2 from a previous increase of 43 cents a litre, the Department of Minerals and Energy announced on Thursday. The retail price of a litre of 95 octane unleaded petrol in Gauteng remains at R7,47, and R7,23 at the coast — new highs set in December.
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/ 6 December 2007
South Africa will not include maize in the initial stages of the country’s biofuels policy in order to keep a lid on high food prices, the Department of Minerals and Energy said on Thursday. The decision followed the South African Cabinet’s approval of a long-awaited biofuels plan, which officials hope will revive the ailing agriculture industry.
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/ 6 December 2007
A miner was killed on Thursday when a rock fell on him at Kloof gold mine near Westonaria, Gold Fields spokesperson Andrew Davidson said. ”The accident, the result of a rockfall, occurred in a stope at number three shaft 2 936m below ground at 11am,” said Davidson. Another miner who was working in the stope was injured during the rockfall.
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/ 30 November 2007
Thabo Gazi, the chief inspector of mines, has briefed the Chamber of Mines and labour unions about the health and safety audit of mines ordered by President Thabo Mbeki. Meanwhile, the National Union of Mineworkers said on Friday that more than 40 000 mineworkers will gather ahead of next week’s safety strike.
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/ 30 November 2007
The retail price of all grades of petrol will increase by 43 cents a litre on Wednesday December 5, the Department of Minerals and Energy announced on Friday. The latest changes bring the retail price of a litre of 95-octane unleaded petrol in Gauteng to R7,47 and to R7,23 at the coast — new highs.
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/ 22 November 2007
South Africa will launch a nationwide safety audit in December on all mines in the world’s largest producer of precious minerals in a bid to reduce deaths and accidents, a senior official said on Thursday. Stung by the loss of lives that union officials have called a ”genocide,” the government has vowed to temporarily shut mines whenever deaths occur.
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/ 6 November 2007
A government inspection was still ongoing at on one of South Africa’s AngloGold Ashanti’s larger mines, which was shut on Friday after a miner was killed in a rockfall, the company said on Tuesday. More than 150 workers have been killed in mine accidents this year in South Africa compared to about 200 last year.
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/ 5 November 2007
South Africa’s AngloGold Ashanti said it expected a government inspection to be conducted on Monday at one of its larger mines, which was shut on Friday after a miner was killed in a rock-fall. AngloGold shut its TauTona mine after the worker died in the early hours of Friday.
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/ 2 November 2007
The retail price of all grades of petrol will increase by three cents a litre on Wednesday November 7, the Department of Minerals and Energy announced on Friday. The wholesale price of diesel — all grades — will decrease by six cents a litre.
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/ 31 October 2007
Gold Fields announced on Wednesday that two employees lost their lives in the morning in an underground accident at the number four shaft of Kloof Gold Mine, near Westonaria. Two other mine employees were injured, one seriously. The four were part of a 10-man team working in a stope on 41 level, approximately 3Â 000m below surface.
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/ 19 October 2007
The Department of Minerals and Energy has launched a funding initiative to make it easier for women to access finance for mining pre-feasibility studies. State news agency BuaNews reported on Friday that access to finance for pre-feasibility studies was still the greatest challenge facing women in the mining industry.
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/ 18 October 2007
Environmental NGO Earthlife Africa has threatened a legal challenge to what it says is South Africa’s ”hasty and ill-informed” draft nuclear policy. The threat was made in a submission on Earthlife’s behalf by the Legal Resources Centre on the policy document, released by the Department of Minerals and Energy in August.
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/ 17 October 2007
South Africa’s Northam Platinum said on Wednesday it expected to lose about 1 000 ounces per day of output after shutting its mine early on Tuesday when a worker was killed in a rockfall. The mine — the world’s deepest platinum mine — produces about 325 000 PGM ounces of platinum a year.
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/ 11 October 2007
The South African government is speaking to the mining sector about setting up the industry safety audit called for by President Thabo Mbeki. ”The government calls on the industry to work with the Department of Minerals and Energy and other stakeholders to ensure that concrete steps are taken,” government spokesperson Themba Maseko said on Thursday.
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/ 10 October 2007
Four miners died in separate, unrelated incidents at Gold Fields mines 10km from each other in Westonaria on Wednesday afternoon. Three of the mine workers were killed when they were hit by a skip loaded with spillage rock in the Four Shaft complex of Kloof Gold Mine near Westonaria on Wednesday, said Gold Fields.
President Thabo Mbeki ordered a safety review on Friday of all South Africa’s mines after a successful operation to rescue thousands of workers who were trapped underground. A statement from his office said Mbeki had called on Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica to conduct an across-the-board audit following the accident.
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/ 28 September 2007
The retail price of 91 unleaded and 93 unleaded and lead-replacement petrol will rise by 9 cents a litre on Wednesday October 3, the Department of Minerals and Energy announced on Friday. The price of 95 unleaded and lead-replacement petrol will increase by 10 cents a litre. The wholesale price of diesel — all grades — will rise by 23 cents a litre.
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/ 25 September 2007
The deregulation of South Africa’s liquid-fuels industry seemed no closer on Tuesday as the Department of Minerals and Energy kicked off the first Energy Summit in Sandton, Johannesburg, which is expected to set the tone for the review of the country’s energy policies.
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/ 6 September 2007
The mystery gem discovered in the North West last week has been certified as a diamond, according to a report in the <i>Mining Weekly</i> on Thursday morning. According to the weekly trade publication, verification of the gem, which is believed to be the largest diamond discovery in the world, has been completed and a certificate was expected to be available by 1pm.
The retail price of all grades of petrol will fall by 10 cents per litre from Wednesday September 1, the Department of Minerals and Energy announced on Friday. This follows a 15 cents fall on August 1 and an eight cents decrease on July 4.