April 14, 2026 — South Africa's Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources recently clarified that the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) rules in the mining sector would undergo their fifth revision since 2002. Existing mining rights would be subject to the "once empowered, always empowered" principle for their lifetime, meaning that once an enterprise completed black equity empowerment, it would not need to repeat the process during the validity period of its mining rights. However, when an enterprise applied for the renewal or extension of mining rights, it must ensure that the black shareholding ratio was no less than 26%, and if necessary, a new BEE transaction must be undertaken.

On May 27, 2025, Rizhao Port Co., Ltd. announced that Rizhao Port Container Development Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rizhao Port, plans to establish a joint venture with Chalco (Xiong'an) Mining Co., Ltd. The registered capital of the joint venture will be 647 million yuan, with Rizhao Port Container Development contributing 226 million yuan in kind, holding a 35% stake, and Chalco Mining contributing 421 million yuan in cash, holding a 65% stake. The name of the joint venture is Chalco (Rizhao) Mineral Resources Development Co., Ltd. (tentative name, subject to the final approval and registration by the industrial and commercial registration authority). The establishment of the joint venture will better drive multi-party collaboration and enhance port throughput and operational efficiency.

On May 27, 2025, Rizhao Port Co., Ltd. announced that Rizhao Port Container Development Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rizhao Port, plans to establish a joint venture with Chalco (Xiong'an) Mining Co., Ltd. The registered capital of the joint venture will be 647 million yuan, with Rizhao Port Container Development contributing 226 million yuan in kind, holding a 35% stake, and Chalco Mining contributing 421 million yuan in cash, holding a 65% stake. The name of the joint venture is Chalco (Rizhao) Mineral Resources Development Co., Ltd. (tentative name, subject to final approval and registration by the industrial and commercial registration authority). The establishment of the joint venture will better drive multi-party collaboration, enhancing port throughput and operational efficiency.

Gwede Mantashe, South Africa's Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, issued a statement in Cape Town on the 20th, stating that the South African Cabinet had formally approved the Critical Minerals and Metals Strategy and decided to solicit public comments on the Mineral Resources Development Bill (MRDB) 2025. He indicated that the release of these two policy documents marked a crucial step forward for South Africa in enhancing policy and regulatory certainty and unlocking the country's potential in the global minerals market. According to reports, the strategy comprehensively evaluates the "criticality" of minerals based on eight indicators, conducting research on 21 minerals across dimensions such as export potential, job creation, supply risk, sales performance, and substitutability. Mantashe stated that critical minerals play a pivotal role in global green transformation, energy security, and high-end manufacturing. The strategy formulated by the South African government explicitly identifies platinum, manganese ore, iron ore, coal, and chrome ore as highly critical minerals; gold, vanadium, palladium, rhodium, and rare earths as moderately-to-highly critical minerals; and copper, cobalt, lithium, graphite, nickel, titanium, phosphate, fluorite, zirconium, uranium, and aluminum as moderately critical minerals. The statement noted that the list would be continuously reviewed and updated based on factors such as market conditions, exploration progress, technological advancements, substitution possibilities, recycling, and geopolitical dynamics. South Africa will advance its critical minerals strategy through six pillars: geoscience exploration; localization and value chain extension; R&D investment and skills development; infrastructure and energy security; fiscal instruments and financial support; and policy and regulatory harmonization. To support the implementation of the strategy, the South African government simultaneously announced the Mineral Resources Development Bill (MRDB) 2025 and solicited public comments. The bill aims to enhance mining governance, combat illegal mining, and promote the legal and compliant development of small and medium-sized miners by streamlining the permitting process, coordinating with environmental and water resource regulations, and introducing a dedicated permitting system for small-scale and artisanal mining.

The Minerals Council South Africa has welcomed the launch of the country’s Critical Minerals Strategy and the publication of the Mineral Resources Development Bill (MRDB) for public comment, both introduced by Minister Gwede Mantashe on May 20. The strategy identifies key minerals such as platinum, manganese, iron-ore, coal, and chrome ore as critical to the nation’s economy. Aimed at aligning mining legislation with global and economic developments, the MRDB and strategy are seen as timely tools to unlock the mining sector’s potential in supporting economic growth and the energy transition. The Council, which contributed to defining critical minerals and was consulted on the MRDB’s development, will now review the documents, emphasizing the importance of fostering investment, exploration, and long-term industry sustainability.

The Shudao Group and CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited) Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement. On February 4th, CATL and the Shudao Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Chengdu. This collaboration will focus on enhancing cooperation in areas such as mineral resources development, lithium battery new materials, electrification of scenes, new energy storage, green electricity and carbon sequestration, battery recycling, and industrial finance. Both parties will fully leverage their respective strengths to jointly support Sichuan in building a world-class new energy industry base. The signing of this agreement between CATL and the Shudao Group is one of the recent initiatives following the comprehensive cooperation agreement signed between CATL and the Sichuan Provincial People's Government. The goal is to promote the deepening of strategic cooperation agreements from the enterprise end, marking another significant step for CATL's comprehensive entry into Sichuan. CATL will work hand in hand with the Sichuan government and local leading enterprises to jointly build a green Sichuan and explore a zero-carbon future.