Zambia: Lusaka Times reported on October 31 that mining companies operating in Zambia were urged to uphold human rights, the latest community facing pressure on Copperbelt operators as copper output expands. No company was sanctioned and no specific incident was adjudicated in the report, so it ships here as a watch item rather than a full story.
Chilwa Minerals: in a filing on October 30 the company reported drilling at its Mposa project in Malawi, including 22 metres at 0.243 percent niobium oxide from 349.5 metres within a 202.5 metre section averaging 0.161 percent, and a 385.4 metre hole averaging 0.192 percent niobium oxide, with elevated rare earths, yttrium, tantalum and gallium. These are exploration intercepts at an early stage project, not a mineral resource, and no economic study exists yet.
Harmony Gold: the South African producer filed its annual report on Form 20-F on October 30, a routine annual filing with no new production or cost guidance. Its shares fell 8.14 percent in New York on Friday to 14.45 dollars as gold broke below 4,000 dollars, a metal driven move rather than a company specific one.
People moves: E&MJ’s October 30 round of appointments included Sebastiaan Bock at Barrick Mining, Christian Milau at Eldorado Gold and Dave Palmer at South32. None carried a strategy change on its face. Jaguar Uranium filed an 8-K on October 30 covering a change of directors or principal officers, with no production asset change reported.