Call for rail and port tariff cuts for beneficiated metals

ALAN PEAT A FURTHER motivation towards beneficiation of SA’s wealth of metals and minerals has just been made by a state industry executive – with the suggestion that government should reduce rail and port tariffs to cut the export cost of these products, and stimulate secondary processing by local industry. Quoted by Business Day, Paul Jourdan, head of the state metals and minerals research body, Mintek, suggested that this proposal “could be a powerful carrot to SA’s mining companies”. It is also likely to be on his agenda when he soon becomes special adviser on beneficiation to the minerals and energy minister, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Jourdan pointed to the fact that energy tariffs had been reduced for strategic projects such as aluminium smelters (liked that proposed for the Coega industrial development project) – and a similar principle should also apply to rail and port rates for other mining-based downstream industries.