• African Rainbow Minerals plans to bid for the design, construction and operation of a manganese export terminal at Ngqura port.

• The project could increase South Africa’s manganese export capacity by 16 million tonnes.

• State logistics group Transnet plans to invest 127 billion rand ($7.6 billion) over five yearsto upgrade rail and port infrastructure.

South Africa is seeking to strengthen its manganese export capacity by developing new logistics infrastructure and expanding cooperation with private mining companies.

African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) announced in early March that it will participate in a tender for the design, construction and operation of a manganese export terminalat the port of Ngqura, located in the Eastern Cape province. Authorities launched the initiative as part of broader efforts to modernize the country’s mining logistics infrastructure.

The mining company controlled by South African billionaire Patrice Motsepesaid in a statement that its subsidiary Assmangwill join the tender through a consortium of private mining companies operating in the Kalahari Basin, which holds most of South Africa’s manganese reserves. The consortium plans to submit its bid in April.

Named the Manganese Producers Consortium (MPC), the group includes several major manganese producers supplying the global steel industry. Members include South32, Anglo American, and Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining, a company controlled by Exxaro Resources.

The consortium intends to submit its proposal as a partner to logistics operator Transnet. The state-owned company manages South Africa’s rail and port infrastructure and has increasingly opened its logistics corridors to private-sector participation to improve export performance for commodities such as coal, iron ore and manganese.

In 2022, Transnet announced plans to relocate its manganese export terminal from Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) to Ngquraby 2027. Authorities made the decision after political parties and civil society organizations raised concerns about health risks linked to manganese handling in the existing facility.

In October 2025, Transnet also announced plans to invest 127 billion rand (about $7.6 billion)over five years to modernize and expand rail lines and port infrastructure. The company said years of poor rolling-stock maintenance, large-scale copper cable theft and repeated acts of vandalism had weakened the logistics network.

Mining companies operating in South Africa have repeatedly criticized the country’s rail capacity constraints and port congestion. Producers say these bottlenecks prevent them from fully meeting strong global demand for minerals.

ARM said the proposed Ngqura terminal could increase the country’s manganese export capacity by 16 million tonnes, which would help ease logistics pressure on existing export corridors.

South Africa holds about 70% of the world’s identified manganese reserves, making the country the largest global resource base for the metal. Producers mainly export the ore in raw form to China, where steelmakers use manganese as a key input in steel production.

This article was initially published in French by Walid Kéfi

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum