copper – praag.org

Gold stash found near Beitbridge

Gold with an estimated value of R24m and copper cable valued at around R14 000 were seized near the Beitbridge border post on Monday, the SA Revenue Service (SARS) said.

“During an inspection of a Toyota Quantum microbus at the Beitbridge border post, the occupants of the vehicle sped off,” spokesperson Luther Lebelo said.

“SARS officials pursued the vehicle. The occupants abandoned the vehicle at Waterpoort, Limpopo and fled the scene.”

An inspection of the vehicle, supervised by the SAPS, recovered 52kg in gold bars and 279kg of copper.

The gold and copper was currently being processed at the SAPS laboratories and the matter was being investigated by police, said Lebelo.

Source: News24

Cape trains sabotaged by copper thieves

Cable theft at Cape Town station left countless commuters stranded on Friday morning after trains coming into the city were delayed for hours as the damage was repaired.

Frustrated passengers, stuck on stalled trains just outside the terminal, resorted to walking the final stretch into the city centre. They formed a snaking line along the tracks as they rushed to work, some already two hours late.

Metrorail spokeswoman Riana Scott said that four metres of cable situated on the approach to the terminal were lifted by thieves during the early hours of Friday morning.

The cables are part of a system that regulates all automated signalling to Cape Town Station’s 24 platforms.

As a result, during the repairs, each train had to be manually authorised to enter or leave the station.

“One hundred and fifty trains use Cape Town station during the morning peak, between 5.30am and 9am,” said Scott.

Regional manager Richard Walker apologised to commuters.

“Although a significant portion of the region’s copper communication cables have already been replaced by fibre optics, this particular section is still linked to Transnet Telecommunications copper cables, making it vulnerable to copper thieves,” Walker said.

He added that their protection services and the Rapid Rail Unit were on high alert to prevent a recurrence and encouraged people to immediately report any suspicious activity in the area.

Metrorail offers rewards of up to R25 000 for any information leading to a successful conviction, he said.

The theft follows an arson attack on Sunday that saw 19 train carriages, parked at the Salt River depot, go up in flames. The damaged trains would reportedly cost the operator upwards of R60 million to replace.

Source: IOL

The modern economy depends on 60+ obscure metals

Over half a century ago, the global economy largely depended on just ten or so different materials. Most important products were made out of wood, brick, iron, copper, gold, silver or a few plastics — and that was about it.

Things are wildly different today. A huge chunk of modern-day technology, from hybrid cars to iPhones to flat-screen TVs to radiation screens, use dozens of different metals and alloys. A computer chip typically involves more than 60 different elements that are specifically selected to optimize performance, like europium or dysprosium.

And that’s long raised a concern: What would happen if we run short of any of these valuable metals? Say there’s a war. Or unrest in a crucial mining region. Or China decides to lock up its strontium deposits. Could we easily come up with substitutes? Or is modern society vulnerable to a materials shortage?

Here’s the case for vulnerability: A fascinating recent paper in The Proceedings of the National Academies of Science looks at 62 different metals that are widely used in modern-day industry. For a dozen metals, potential substitutes are either inadequate or flat-out unavailable. And there are no “excellent” substitutes for any of the 62 metals. A shortage of any of them could do some damage.