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Chinese Cobalt Stakeholders Weigh In on Durban Chaos

by Cobus van Staden
The local food market within the “China Market” in Addis Ababa where Chinese migrants shop for vegetables and meat. Photo by Yu Jiatong.

The impact of the floods that disrupted operations at South Africa’s Durban harbor is being felt throughout the cobalt supply chain. The Swiss cobalt miner Glencore reacted by declaring force majeure, but so far little has been heard from the Chinese companies that dominate both cobalt mining in the DRC and 80% of global cobalt refining.

The prominent Africa Yellow and Black community WeChat news service, which reports on issues affecting the Chinese community in the DRC and beyond, recently asked how Chinese stakeholders in the cobalt supply chain are being affected:

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