- CEO
- Zanele Joyce Matlala
- Full Time Employees
- 8
- Sector
- Non-energy minerals
- Industry
- Other metals/Minerals
- Address
- Building B Bryanston GP South Africa 2191
- IPO Date
- Jul 1, 1992
- Business
- Merafe Resources Limited operates primarily in the industrial metals and mining sector, focusing on the production and sale of ferrochrome through its joint venture with Glencore, the Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture. The company manufactures ferrochrome using chrome ore mined from deposits in South Africa, operating ferrochrome smelters, ferrochrome furnaces, chrome ore mines, UG2 plants, and PGM processing plants mainly located in the Northwest, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces. The products are primarily supplied to the stainless steel industry. Founded in 1955 and headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, Merafe Resources also holds subsidiaries including Merafe Chrome and Alloys (Pty) Ltd and Merafe Ferrochrome and Mining (Pty) Ltd.
In recent developments, Merafe has announced significant operational changes due to escalating electricity costs in South Africa, which have forced the company and its joint venture partner Glencore to halt operations at the Boshoek and Wonderkop ferrochrome smelters since May 2025. The company plans to officially mothball these two smelters at the start of 2026, resulting in layoffs and retrenchments for a large number of employees. The continuing operation of the Lion smelter is supported under a recent electricity tariff proposal, but no sustainable solution has been found for the other two smelters. This decision reflects the broader challenge of rising power costs impacting industrial producers in South Africa. Additionally, Merafe and its partners have been involved in strategic agreements to enhance chrome production efficiencies and operations, including recent finalized agreements with Sibanye-Stillwater to optimize chrome recovery and increase future cash flows.
These operational shifts highlight Merafe's focus on maintaining profitability amidst infrastructural challenges and power cost pressures while optimizing production through strategic partnerships and efficiency improvements within the South African chrome mining and ferrochrome production industry. The company continues to engage with stakeholders and the government to find sustainable energy solutions critical to its long-term viability in its core markets.