South Africa occupies a unique position in the global critical raw materials landscape, not only through traditional mining, but through the untapped potential of secondary sources such as coal mine dumps, tailings, and acid mine drainage. As demand for critical minerals accelerates with the global energy transition, these legacy coal assets present an opportunity to finance environmental remediation, drive industrialisation, and reposition coal within a science-led, value-extractive framework. Realising this opportunity, however, requires intentional investment in research, mapping, and downstream manufacturing to ensure South Africa captures value within a narrowing global window.

The frequency and intensity of cyclones across Southern Africa may be increasing, and with the impact of flooding not only taking lives, but damaging infrastructure and livelihoods, the potential support provided through catastrophe bonds may need to be considered.

Gordon Gecko said “greed is good” in the movie Wall Street. I say change is good. It has influenced my professional journey and has had an enriching effect on my career. Now, as a coach and capacity builder,in the words of an African proverb, I am “lighting other candles”.

Is it a question of shortness of memory on the part of financial institutions, or is it just a matter of the prospect of huge returns making risky investment decisions worthwhile? Whatever the motivation, the Archegos implosion has prompted regulators in the US, UK, Switzerland and Japan to investigate the risk controls of eight major banks including Credit Suisse, Nomura, Morgan Stanley, UBS, MUFG and Mizuho, who collectively suffered losses in excess of US$10 billion.