Southern Palladium Limited has secured a 30-year Mining Right from the South African Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources for the Bengwenyama PGM-chrome project in the Limpopo Province.

The Mining Right covers a 5,280-hectare area across the Nooitverwacht 324 KT and Eerstegeluk 327 KT farms, permitting the extraction of platinum group metals, gold, copper, chrome, cobalt, silver and nickel. The asset is held by Miracle Upon Miracle Investments, in which Southern Palladium maintains a 70% interest alongside the Bengwenyama Community holding 30%.

At full steady-state stage 2 production, the project targets an output exceeding 400,000 ounces of PGMs and 1 million tonnes of high-grade chrome concentrate annually. This represents a substantial increase from the Optimised Pre-Feasibility Study, which previously assumed chromite concentrate production of 0.35 million tonnes per annum.

“Securing the Bengwenyama Mining Right is a pivotal catalyst for driving the Bengwenyama Project from studies to execution. With the Mining Right in hand, we can continue to progress the DFS completion, fast-track the project execution plan and operational readiness activities... The Mining Right materially de-risks the pathway to early development.”

— Johan Odendaal, Managing Director

The board has approved the commencement of early box-cut and decline development before the end of 2026, pending the completion of waste management and water use permitting processes.

The Definitive Study works program is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2027. The revised timetable incorporates metallurgical test results into the plant design and optimisation work.

Read the full announcement: Mining Right Granted for SPD Bengwenyama PGM-Chrome Project