Transalloys, the last remaining manganese smelter in South Africa, issued retrenchment notices to roughly 600 employees. Despite South Africa holding 75% of global manganese reserves, local processing has become uncompetitive.

CEO Konstantin Sadovnik said that current electricity tariffs, reaching over R2.06/kWh, make sustained operations impossible compared to rates below R0.73/kWh in China and Malaysia.

The facility currently runs only two of its five furnaces in eMalahleni. While the government considers new power pricing and export taxes to assist the industry, these measures remain unfinished. Without immediate cost certainty, the company plans to finalize its restructuring by February.