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The article reports on the belief by analysts that Exxaro's proposed purchase of African Iron in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is still far from being a done deal. The warning came amidst speculations that other big companies such as Xstrata, Glencore and Anglo American could be busy preparing rival offers. Analysts believe that the existing infrastructure at African Iron is one of the most attractive aspects of the company.

The article reports on the announcement by iron ore junior Ferrox Holdings that South Africa's former Reserve Bank governor and labour minister, Tito Mboweni, and his brother, Alto, have bought a 20% stake in the company for 32 million U.S. dollars. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the miner with the brothers through their investment company, the Mboweni Brothers Investment Holdings (MBIH).

The article reports on the success of the police to prevent an attempt by armed robbers to hijack an aircraft loaded with gold bars from AngloGold Ashanti's airstrip near the company's Geita mine in Tanzania. According to police reports, five masked men, armed with submachine guns, tried to board the plane and fly the gold away in January 2012, but the mine's security guards sounded the alarm. AngloGold spokesman Alan Fine said, however, that no company employee assisted in the robbery.

The article reports on a legal dispute between the Zimbabwe revenue authority and platinum producer Zimplats over alleged underpayment of royalties. In November 2011, a garnishee order was issued by the tax authority which led to a deduction of 7.2 million dollars from the company's bank account. A high court application was sought by Zimplats to overturn the order and force the authority to return the funds.

The article reports on the implications of the implementation of a carbon tax for the South African mining industry. The carbon tax will add 10 percent to the cost base of most mining companies, which made mining industry participants argue against it. The possible consequence of the carbon tax is job losses. Mike Rossouw, executive director at Xstrata South Africa, argues that research is needed before implementing a carbon tax.

The article reports on the failure of BHP Billiton in its bid to appeal against a judgment ordering it to disclose the amount it pays Eskom for electricity at its aluminium operations in Richards Bay, South Africa. The application for operations in the country was rejected by a South African court on November 11, 2011. According to a company spokesman, BHP will take legal advice on how to proceed.

The article reports a further delay in the start-up of the new Eskom power plant in South Africa called Medupi. It is noted that the delay will endanger metals projects in the pipeline that had planned to rely on electricity supplied by the power plant. The construction of the coal power station is aimed at meeting the country's rising demand for power in the years up to 2017, but will be delayed further.

The article reports on the resumption of work at Xstrata's ferro-chrome coal operations in South Africa which was hit by a strike. It is noted that on October 2008, most of the company's ferro-chrome and thermal coal operations that were affected by a ten-day miners strike restarted. The strike had shutting down a large proportion of Xstrata's coal operations that affected some of its alloy works.

Provides information on the televised auction of Erdemir, a holding company based in Turkey. Details of the bidding; Companies who participated in the auction; Amount of the closing bid.