Aquila Resources takes govt to court over overlapping mining rights

Steel producer Aquila Resources on Thursday instituted legal proceedings against the South African government in the Pretoria High Court to resolve an alleged overlapping prospecting right over its Avontuur manganese project, in the Northern Cape. The company said in a statement that its decision followed the expiry of several deadlines for the Mineral Resources Minister to decide on Aquila’s internal appeal – a procedure prescribed under the relevant South African legislation – to set aside the alleged overlapping prospecting right.