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Question:

Steel and Iron Ore?

Does SA use its own iron ore to produce steel for construction or do we rely on imports?

Answer:

There is a ludicrous mixture of the two at present. We export a large percentage of our steel to China predominantly but also to other regions then import what ever the shortfall is on the local market, often at inflated prices. The company I work for obtains all its steel from only one supplier, who we have shares in, and under the counter cash incentives are the order of the day, I keep myself above water by refusing the cash and sign no documents relating to those dealings, I'm not prepared to go to prison for a cash bonus.
SA got its own steel and iron production going that is one of our main exports They don't make Rail's for railway line any more we in port it
Then people like Bull tell you the country is going down yet Lakshmi and Mark Mobius(read last week's FM) show confidence in SA. Sieman, IBM and CNBC are investing millions in the country. Now who do believe?
Iron ore is just a rock -- in fact it would probably be hard to tell iron ore from a piece you found lying out in your backyard. It's what mines produce, and it needs to be burned to separate it into its different elements. Iron is an element. It is the purest form of the metal. Steel is mostly iron, but it is not pure iron. To make steel you must burn coke (another kind of rock) along with the iron ore. The coke adds carbon to the iron, producing steel which is stronger than pure iron.

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