16 APRIL 2026
We recently took part in the South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) in Johannesburg, a forum that brings together government, business, and investors to focus on practical ways to support economic growth and long-term investment in South Africa.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the R3.9 billion (approximately US$236 million) in investment by South32 across our South African operations.
At Hotazel Manganese Mines (HMM), this includes work to extend the life of our Wessels mine, expand rail infrastructure at Mamatwan and Wessels mines to accommodate longer trains and larger wagons, and handle larger train volumes under our long-term contract with Transnet, South Africa's state-owned freight operator. Much of this work is already complete or underway.
South32 attended SAIC, with Barry Bezuidenhout, HMM Vice President Operations, speaking about the importance of reliable infrastructure and strong industry‑government partnerships for our operations and the communities surrounding them.
"Our investments are focused on improving key infrastructure such as rail and expansion of our current assets to maximise our potential and contribute towards the socio-economic improvement of the country," Barry said.
At Hillside Aluminium, the investment focus is on modernising critical smelting infrastructure while strengthening the downstream aluminium value chain in KwaZulu-Natal province. This includes working with government and industry partners to ensure businesses like Bingelela Alloys continue producing alloy rims in Richards Bay, keeping manufacturing and value creation in South Africa.
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