Southern Africa holds some of the world’s most important minerals for steelmaking. South Africa alone dominates global chrome reserves and remains a major producer of iron ore, manganese, and vanadium. Yet despite this resource base and a once-strong industrial foundation, steel manufacturing in the region is in decline.
In this second episode of The Africa Hour Season 2, we explore manufacturing: what it really means to make things locally – competitively and at scale. In conversation with experts from policy, academia, industry, and organised labour, we unpack the structural challenges shaping the chrome and steel sectors in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. From rising electricity costs and unreliable power supply to weak domestic demand, global overcapacity, and increasing imports, the pressures are deeply interconnected.
We then turn to the question of green manufacturing, examining what it would take to produce steel in a way that is both competitive and climate responsible, and how energy systems and evolving global regulations are redefining the terms of industrial competitiveness.
Lufuno Munzhelele holds the position of Principal Analyst at the South African Iron & Steel Institute (SAISI), where she is recognized as a trade economist and steel market analyst. Her specialization encompasses steel industry dynamics, trade policy, and industrial sustainability. In her role at SAISI, she provides strategic market intelligence and crucial policy analysis that significantly influences the development trajectory of the steel sector. She brings over a decade of dedicated experience, including steel-related trade investigations and industrial policy advisory. Her collaborative portfolio features partnerships with industry leaders, government bodies, and development finance institutions, with a concentrated focus on fortifying local steel value chains and enhancing overall sector competitiveness. She possesses a Master of Commerce degree in Development Economics. She is esteemed within the industry for the production of rigorous, policy-relevant market intelligence that effectively bridges operational industry realities with public-sector decision-making processes.
Kuda Manjonjo is a Just Transition Advisor at PowerShift Africa. His professional background encompasses civil society engagement, community organizing, and middle management roles within academia, with a focus on Monitoring and Evaluation, research, community work, and advocacy. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Labour and Globalization, a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Zimbabwe, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Labour and Economic Sociology from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. studies.
Leanne Govindsamy is a human rights and environmental lawyer possessing 16 years of legal experience. Her professional background includes working to advance social, environmental, and climate justice through comprehensive efforts in law and policy reform, strategic impact litigation, research, and advocacy. She previously served as the Head of the Corporate Accountability and Transparency programme at the Centre for Environmental Rights, an ‘activist lawyer' organization based in South Africa. She has played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Fair Finance Coalition Southern Africa and the Fair Steel Coalition. Her past professional appointments include a clerkship at the Constitutional Court, attorney practice at Cheadle Thompson and Haysom, and Head of Legal and Investigations at Corruption Watch. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Human Rights Law (University of Notre Dame, USA), an LLB, and a Master’s degree in Anthropology (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa).
Wouter Bam is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. Prior to his appointment at UBC, he held the position of Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. His research endeavors are concentrated on industrial policy, with a particular focus on mineral-based development across the African continent. He possesses a joint PhD in Economics from KU Leuven and Industrial Engineering from Stellenbosch University, a master’s degree in Industrial Systems, Manufacturing and Management from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Industrial Engineering from Stellenbosch University.
Tengo Tengela serves as the Trade and Industry Policy Coordinator within the COSATU Policy Unit. His previous experience includes working for the NUMSA Policy and Research Institute and, more recently, as a Parliamentary Officer with the NEHAWU Parliamentary Office. He represents organized labour in several social dialogue institutions, including the NEDLAC Trade and Industry Chamber, and the Fiscal and Monetary Policy Chamber.
Short Range Outlook (SRO) 2025 by World Steel Assocation https://worldsteel.org/media/press-releases/2025/worldsteel-short-range-outlook-october-2025/
Improving Industrial Policy Intervention: The Case of Steel in South Africa by W. Bam and K. de Bruyne K.https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/9WPWMWMRCMZT7PWVPISV/full?target=10.1080/00220388.2018.1528354
Inside the Manhize Blueprint: How Zimbabwe is Betting on The Steel Industry to drive Industrialization by PowerShift Africa https://www.powershiftafrica.org/blogs/inside-the-manhize-blueprint-how-zimbabwes-steel-industry-is-betting-on-sector-reforms
China’s Tsingshan $1 bln steel plant in Zimbabwe starts production by Reuters https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/chinas-tsingshan-1-bln-steel-plant-zimbabwe-starts-production-2024-06-20
A Just Steel Transition by Leanne Govindsamy for the Centre for Environmental Rights https://cer.org.za/news/a-just-steel-transition
ArcelorMittal South Africa to cease long steel production by April by Reutershttps://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/arcelormittal-south-africa-cease-long-steel-production-by-april-2025-02-28
Greening China’s ‘brown steel’ investments in Zimbabwe by Kuda Manjonjo
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2025/06/09/greening-chinas-brown-steel-investments-in-zimbabwe/
Beneficiation might not be a silver bullet by W. Bam W. & K. de Bruyne https://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/wouter-bam-karolien-de-bruyne-beneficiation-might-not-be-a-silver-bullet/63072/
