‘Minister of Trade and Industry Parks Tau is courting US investors to help move the country beyond the export of raw minerals’ 26 September 2026

South Africa is looking to turn its critical mineral wealth into new investment, processing, and manufacturing opportunities. Minister of Trade and Industry Parks Tau is courting United States (US) investors to help move the country beyond the export of raw minerals. Tau was speaking at a Critical Minerals Roundtable in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. He said South Africa wants to build value chains that include mining, refining, processing, and manufacturing.

South Africa has significant reserves and production capacity in minerals including platinum group metals (PGM), manganese and chromium. Tau said these can support industries including battery materials, hydrogen and grid infrastructure.

The minister said South Africa is seeking US capital, technology, skills and long-term offtake agreements to get these projects off the ground.

Government is also proposing a Critical Minerals Investment Platform and a South Africa-US Working Group to match local projects with US investors and industrial demand. Tau said that the aim is to move from discussions about SA's mineral wealth to specific projects that can be financed, built and integrated into global supply chains.