The country, however, was 100% import reliant on 20 mineral commodities, including rare earths, manganese and niobium, which are among a suite of materials often designated as “critical” or “strategic.”
The company has spent at least $2.5 billion on the project, whose total cost if built would be at least $10 billion due to delays and permitting costs.
Mines minister Mosebenzi Zwane noted that 19 of the 73 miners who died in South Africa last year lost their lives at operations run by those companies.