The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) warned that the closure of Transalloys—South Africa’s last remaining manganese smelter in Emalahleni Municipality in Mpumalanga Province, could lead to a loss of 600 jobs.
The company suspended operations and shutdown all of its furnaces, on 1 July 2026.
Theo Morkel, CEO and General Operations Manager of Transalloys, said the company is engaged in negotiations with Eskom over electricity tariffs.
NUMSA said the permanent closure of Transalloys will result in 10,000 indirect jobs across the supply chain.
Collen Mahlangu, Mpumalanga Regional Secretary of NUMSA, said “we refuse to fold our arms and watch eMalahleni be turned into another economic ghost town, following the catastrophic closure of EVRAZ Highveld Steel! The working class cannot continue to pay the price for skyrocketing energy costs and state failures.”
He also said the labour union demands that Eskom, the Department of Electricity and Energy, and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) urgently meet to secure the future of Transalloys.
Picture: Supplied