By Segun Adeyanju
South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe has joined the race to develop Africa’s next major manganese export hub as his company, African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), confirmed plans to participate in a consortium building a new export terminal at the Port of Ngqura.
ARM will partner with global mining firms including South32, Anglo American and Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining under the Manganese Producers Consortium in collaboration with state-owned logistics company Transnet.
The planned terminal will initially handle about 16 million tonnes of manganese ore annually, with capacity expected to rise to 22 million tonnes as export demand grows.
South Africa holds roughly 75 percent of the world’s known manganese reserves, most of them located in the Kalahari Basin. However, export logistics have long been constrained by limited rail and port capacity.
Under the new plan, manganese shipments currently handled at the Port Elizabeth Manganese Terminal will gradually shift to the larger Ngqura facility, which is expected to serve as a modern export hub for the mineral.
The project comes amid strong financial performance by African Rainbow Minerals, which recently reported a 10 percent rise in interim earnings. The company’s solid balance sheet has enabled it to pursue strategic infrastructure investments aimed at strengthening its global market position.
Analysts say the new terminal will improve export efficiency and reinforce South Africa’s dominance in the global manganese trade, which is driven largely by demand from the steel industry and emerging battery technologies.
For Motsepe, the move further expands his mining portfolio and strengthens his influence in Africa’s mineral sector while positioning his company to benefit from growing global demand for manganese.
