PRETORIA, 12 Feb. - (ANA) - South Africa’s mining minister criticized DR Congo for signing a critical minerals deal with the US, saying it threatened the sovereignty of African states by intensifying the scramble for Africa’s natural resources.

 

Speaking at the Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, Gwede Mantashe instead urged African nations to “deepen collaboration” with each other. He told reporters that he clashed with his counterpart from DR Congo at a ministerial meeting a day earlier over the deal Kinshasa signed with Washington in December. Mantashe’s remarks came days after the US announced plans to create a trade zone for critical minerals — with price floors intended to stabilize markets — to counter China’s dominance of the sector.

 

In a separate address at the continent’s largest annual mining summit, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema called on African countries to build regional value chains around mining logistics. Such cooperation, according to analysts, could involve pooling mineral supplies for shared processing and developing cross-border infrastructure to expand downstream markets.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/12 February 2026  - - -