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The strong ongoing investment demand for platinum is broadening to the minor platinum group metals (PGMs) such as ruthenium and iridium, SFA (Oxford) CEO Henk de Hoop pointed out on Wednesday June 3.

Questioned by Mining Weekly on the prospect of platinum investment demand remaining strong, De Hoop noted that up to half of some of the ruthenium imports into China had been for investment purposes rather than industrial demand.

Iridium is also being stocked away, and part of that might be strategic, part of it also the private sector seeing it as an investment opportunity, De Hoop added. ((Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

"Probably the upside will be more limited as we start to move down, but I'm not necessarily so convinced that if platinum prices weaken, we're going to see a similar flood of platinum investment bonds coming back to the market, as has been seen in the past, which is good because it basically manages liquidity a bit better than what has happened in the past.

"Historically, when platinum prices would run up, for example, we would see Japanese bar buying ramping up quite enthusiastically, especially at certain price points in yen. In our last visit to Japan, it was also clear that because the gold price kept on rising, people who bought platinum investment bars did not come back and sell them on any dip in platinum prices.

"They've kept on buying on the way up, and we think a part of that has to do with the very uncertain environment out there. Direction is very difficult to read. It's also nervousness about stock markets, nervousness about global political events. There's a lot of stress from a political level, and we sense that it could well be that the investment angle for platinum is getting stronger and stronger, and we're not going to get this ride down to the same extent as what we had in the past. When platinum prices would weaken, it would almost get accelerated down with a lot of bars ending up being thrown back into the market and providing lots of liquidity.

"The big drainer of liquidity, I would say, would have been China over the last two years, where investment bar demand is very strong. It's a diversifier. Because of the gold bar demand being very strong, it helps to diversify holdings. But it was also easy to access. The manufacturers were putting a lot more platinum bars on display, and we heard stories there of wealthy individuals having hundreds of kilos of platinum bars stacked away at home. We're not so convinced necessarily that they'll rush back to the market, either, because remember the investment opportunities in China, particularly the housing market, have weakened dramatically, and people are very nervous about that. The stock markets are very volatile and have not been necessarily that good consistently for the Chinese," De Hoop explained.

The recent SFA (Oxford) Platinum Lectures 2026 had record attendance. "We had to actually stop registrations at one point, because we were going beyond the lecture hall capacity."

The high attendance arose against the background of "a lot of buzz, a lot of positiveness, partly obviously because the prices were pretty good as a background, but also I think because there was a broad range of market participants. We saw a lot more bankers and financial people there and there was more junior activity as well."

Mining Weekly: What do you foresee being spotlighted at the upcoming Shanghai Platinum Week in China?

De Hoop: First of all, the Shanghai Platinum Week is a really valuable conference. It's organised with the help of the World Platinum Investment Council. It's a combination of presentations and lectures, followed by site visits. We have two people going there this year again because I think it's an increa...

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TSX-V-listed American Lithium Corporation has welcomed the Peruvian government's issuance of a Supreme Decree formally declaring the national importance of both uranium and lithium, while declaring an upcoming international forum of national importance.

The inaugural forum, called 'Uranium and Lithium: Pillars of energy leadership for mining, technological and smart city development in Peru and the world', is being co-organised by Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation, and is scheduled for July 7 and 8.

The decree formally recognises uranium and lithium as critical and strategic minerals of increasing international relevance, citing their central role in the energy transition, electro-mobility, clean energy storage and smart city development.

The decree also highlights as government policy objectives the development of an energy sector with minimal environmental impact and low carbon emissions within a sustainable development framework.

The Peruvian government's policy direction coincides with rising international focus on Peru's role in long-term critical minerals supply, including discussions linked to the upcoming twenty-seventh World Mining Congress, which is also to be hosted in Lima.

American Lithium holds two of the most strategically located and advanced-stage projects in Peru's Puno region: the Falchani lithium project, one of the world's largest hard-rock lithium and cesium deposits, and the Macusani uranium project, the largest undeveloped uranium project in Latin America.

Both projects are situated on the Macusani Plateau in south-eastern Peru and both projects have robust preliminary economic assessments completed, along with increased mineral resources supported through further exploration.

"The Peruvian government's decision to declare this forum of national importance is a landmark development that validates exactly what we have believed for many years. Peru holds extraordinary uranium and lithium resources, and this forum signals that the country is ready to take its place at the centere of the global critical minerals conversation," says American Lithium president and COO Laurence Stefan.

American Lithium, through the Falchani and Macusani projects, is uniquely positioned to contribute to Peru's energy leadership ambitions.

"We look forward to participating in the forum and working constructively with government, industry, and community stakeholders to advance these world-class assets responsibly and on an accelerated timeline," Stefan concludes.

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Look out for PyroFuZA. Those eight letters have the potential to make best use of South Africa's natural resources and restore South Africa's value-adding power, which, in turn, can help to foot the bill for the innovative rebuilding of this country's economy.

PyroFuZA spells out that it's possible for South Africa to put its own distinctive correct measures in place that will enable this country to, once again, become a strong player within the value-add ecosystem, amid different measures being applied at different stages of advancement so that long-term momentum is assured. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

Pointed out is that, even now, South Africa is not totally bereft of momentum, and will not have to restart from scratch, but needs to a stand-together approach, a same-direction aim, and a new-foundation-laying agenda.

While PyroFuZA acknowledges that "the needle has to be threaded very carefully", the eight letters also come with the conviction that both internal and external win-win synergies can be turned to positive account if conscientiously sought.

Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly spoke to Dr Johan Zietsman and mining luminary Bernard Swanepoel following the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy's Pyrometallurgy International Conference 2026, which shone a bright spotlight on the future of the South Africa's pyrometallurgical industry, which spans the worlds of iron and steel, ferroalloys, platinum group metals and base metals.

Mining Weekly: The conference opened with something quite unusual — a full-day workshop called PyroFuZA, bringing together CEOs, government officials, and senior industry figures behind closed doors. What was the purpose of that day, and why was it necessary?

Zietsman: Thanks for the opportunity to chat about this, which I think is essential to our country and our economy, We are blessed with minerals of great value in the ground, and it has been the platform for building our economy for the previous 100 years. But in the last 30 or so years, that has all been in decline, and there are geopolitical issues at play. There are local issues at play. It's by no means a simple matter, but it's a fact that this industry and the value addition of these minerals that we have can pay the bills for rebuilding our economy again to be leading in Africa and in some respects leading in the world.

I think we owe it to the future generations to do this and not just accept the direction in which our industry is going, and that's why we invited industry leaders, government participation. In my view, one company cannot solve this on their own. As other countries operate in national unity in some respects, we need to do something similar in South Africa. This industry specifically is fragmented. There is no unified effort to build the common infrastructure that we need, and that's a great opportunity. The decline that we are seeing does not need to continue. It's a choice, and rebuilding the industry is also a choice, but it's a choice that we have to make together.

South Africa has lost more than two-million tonnes of smelting capacity since 2014. At least 30 of 59 chrome furnaces are on care-and-maintenance or closed. Last year South Africa exported 24-million tonnes of chrome ore while producing less than one-million tonnes of ferrochrome, against nearly five-million tonnes of installed capacity. How did this happen?

It's a structural decline. If we consider the major ferrochrome producers in the world, it's South Africa, Kazakhstan, and China. Our energy cost is basically double that of our competitors, and we have not sustainably renewed our energy generation capacity, which means that we have come to a point where it's basically impos...

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ASX- and Aim-listed uranium developer Aura Energy is nearing a final investment decision (FID) on the Tiris project, in Mauritania, underpinned by a robust processing flowsheet, positive indicative economics and a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) that strengthens the funding pathway.

The group expects to make an announcement on the Tiris project by year-end, following a bankable feasibility study (BFS) that is due in September.

Tiris would be Mauritania's first uranium mine and its first new mine in 20 years.

Aura signed an MoU with a major international nuclear power company covering potential investment, offtake and technical collaboration. The collaboration would support a pathway to a substantial, well-capitalised funding partner for Tiris, without derogating from other funding options.

Aura's funding pathway for Tiris spans multiple complementary sources, including a potential cornerstone strategic equity investment from a strategic investor such as the MoU counterparty; senior project debt with the US International Development Finance Corporation together with new equity and quasi equity such as royalties; and a non-binding, fully funded proposal from a major US investment fund.

While early-stage analysis on the project indicates positive economic outcomes for a two-million-pound-a-year triuranium octoxide operation, the BFS is considering the economics for an expansion to a 3.5-million-pound plant.

Chairperson Phil Mitchell says it is a defining moment for Tiris, with the settled processing flowsheet having locked in a validated technical foundation for the project. The flowsheet is built entirely on commercially proven technologies and has been validated across the full range of Tiris ore types.

"With technical uncertainty having been cleared, Tiris has a clear run to a FID," Mitchell affirms.

The flowsheet pairs pre-leach centrifuge separation with post-leach polymer dewatering and horizontal vacuum belt filtration, which Mitchell explains is an efficient and cost-effective combination that is ready for deployment.

The polymer-based dewatering system, called ATA, is owned by ASX-listed Clean TeQ Water, which has also been awarded a design and construct contract for a full -scale ATA plant processing 750 000 t/y of tailings.

Soweto Cluster gold study on way as Pan African hits gold production top spot

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The Soweto Cluster definitive feasibility study (DFS) is on track for completion this month, Pan African Resources reported on Monday, June 1 in an operational update ahead of its financial year ending June 30 to highlight its 40% increase in annual gold production to 275 000 oz.

The option to construct a new 600 000-t-a-month tailings processing facility next to the London- and Johannesburg-listed company's thriving Mogale Tailings Retreatment (MTR) surface gold operations west of Johannesburg, is the focus of the Soweto Cluster DFS.

Envisaged is a standalone operation producing 30 000 oz to 35 000 oz a year for 15 years.

Pan African, headed by CEO Cobus Loots, has achieved improved safety statistics as it continues to concentrate on safety initiatives amid MTR contributing to a 14% higher half-year gold output of 147 000 oz, along with excellent production performances from the Elikhulu Tailings Retreatment Plant as well as the Evander and Barberton underground operations, which offset slower-than-anticipated ramp-up of production from Tennant Mines, the company's acquisition in Australia.

Initiatives to expand annual gold output to 300 000 oz and beyond are under way.

On the cost front, all-in sustaining cost (AISC) guidance of $1 870/oz is expected against a background of record operating cash flow generation, projected cash of $220-million, and domestic medium-term notes of $49.7-million being the only outstanding debt.

AISC estimates allow for above inflation increases for reagents, electricity and other key inputs at a time when the company has never been in a stronger financial position, atop major growth investments and dividends to shareholders.

Further production increases are expected in later years, primarily driven by production growth from Tennant and MTR, where environmental approvals and processing of water use licence applications for the Soweto Cluster are in progress. The required pipeline servitudes from the Soweto Cluster tailings storage facilities to the Mogale plant site are being concluded and the study for the expansion of the Mogale plant to include a separate circuit for the treatment of hard rock ore from local surface material is being finalised. The treatment of the hard rock ore could potentially further increase the Mogale complex's production by 20 000 oz to 30 000 oz a year.

"The strong operational performance from our South African portfolio offset the slower-than-anticipated production ramp-up from Tennant. In the next financial year, we expect a much-improved performance from Tennant, with a full year of mining from the high-grade White Devil deposit, and a clear pathway to growing Australian gold production to 100 000 oz/y in the next three years. In addition, we anticipate increasing gold production from MTR in the next years, with the Soweto Cluster DFS now nearing completion," Loots stated in a release to Mining Weekly.

"Despite inflationary pressures, costs remain well managed. We're in a fortunate position in South Africa, with stable grid power to all our operations, and an accelerating renewable energy portfolio being rolled out to maintain this supply and reduce the impact of Eskom cost increases.

"In Australia, while diesel price increases have had an impact on production costs, sufficient storage facilities are now in place to minimise risks associated with potential fuel supply shortages. We are also investing in a large renewable energy solution for Tennant Mines, which will include battery storage, to reduce future operating costs.

"The conclusion of the Emmerson transaction will see Pan African consolidate the Tennant Creek goldfield, and we look forward to welcom...