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Diversified mining and marketing company Anglo American has announced several changes to its senior management team and organisation to lead what it describes as its “next phase of delivery”.

The London- and Johannesburg-listed Anglo, headed by CEO Duncan Wanblad, which reorganising how it manages its production businesses as well as the functional expertise that supports these businesses, has been refreshing its executive team over the last 12 months.

In February, Al Cook joined as CEO of De Beers. In May, Alison Atkinson took up her role as projects and development director, and Monique Carter has joined as people and organisation director.

Helena Nonka will direct a combined strategy and sustainability team and Richard Price a combined legal and corporate affairs team.

Stephen Pearce will continue to lead the finance team across the group but has indicated his intention to retire during this year, having served as finance director since early 2017. The process to appoint his successor is under way.

Anglo’s production businesses will be consolidated into two regions – Africa and Australia, and the Americas.

The regional director, Africa and Australia, is South Africa’s Themba Mkhwanazi, currently the Bulk Commodities CEO, with Ruben Fernandes the regional director of the Americas.

Anglo produces platinum group metals and iron-ore in South Africa and steelmaking coal in Australia. In Brazil, it produces iron-ore and nickel, and in Chile and Peru, copper. Under development is the crop nutrients business in the UK.

Anglo stated in a release to Mining Weekly that Mkhwanazi, who will be based in South Africa, and Fernandes, who will be based in Brazil, will be accountable for safe and responsible operations, optimising current performance, future options and commercial value, in line with the group’s strategy, and will work to ensure effective functional support and service delivery to their operations in each country,

The CEO of crop nutrients is Tom McCulley and the CEO of marketing is Peter Whitcutt.

Pearce, Carter and technical and operations director Matt Daley will together support the governance and strategic delivery of the group and the performance of the production businesses.

Anik Michaud, who has been instrumental over 15 years in shaping the Anglo brand, sustainability and thought leadership as critical underpins to employee and stakeholder trust, has decided that the time is right for her to develop the next phase of her career outside of Anglo, while Didier Charreton has decided to retire after almost eight years of transforming the people strategy, most notably in talent development and in creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace for all employees.

South Africa’s Nolitha Fakude, who will continue as the chairperson of Anglo’s management board in this country, will lead a number of special projects in the national interest, while also advising Wanblad and supporting Mkhwanazi in his new regional role.

“The fundamental demand outlook for responsibly sourced metals and minerals is ever more compelling,” said Wanblad, who believes that Anglo is well positioned to produce and grow into the two major demand trends of economic decarbonisation and the needs of a growing and urbanising global population – from homes and electronics to food and luxuries.

“The changes we have announced today create the senior team and organisational structure that I believe will lead us to deliver our full potential,” Wanblad added.

The changes take effect from July 1, when Anglo’s executive leadership team will be Wanblad, Pearce, Cook, Atkinson, Nonka, Daley, Carter, Whitcutt, Price, Mkhwanazi, Fernandes, and McCulley.

South Africa’s Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is going all out to attract junior mining and exploration companies, making it easier for companies to get on to the exchange and to remain on the exchange, while ensuring that investor protections are of the highest calibre.

In the last few years, the JSE has also made it progressively easier for secondary listings and the fast-tracking of inward listings.

The exchange is encouraged by the government's one year review of its exploration strategy and its reference to the flow-through shares concept, impending cadastral system and clarity on triple black economic empowerment (BBBEE) to reinvigorate small-cap listings.

The small end of the JSE received a big boost last month with the highly successful listing of Copper 360 last month. The exchange was also encourages secondary listing of Southern Palladium in June last year, and the secondary inward listing of DRA in 2021.

It is seeing a lot of appetite around battery-related minerals and renewable energy inputs and sees South Africa as being well placed at the right time for the green revolution that is sweeping the world.

“It’s giving me some comfort that we're seeing both private sector and government look to taking advantage of these developments,” JSE origination and deals head Samuel Mokorosi told Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

The JSE is engaged with government on how more retail and more high net worth individual investing into earlier stage mining companies can be brought about.

“We as the JSE are certainly pushing as hard as we can within our framework to keep inviting junior miners, exploration companies to list on the exchange.

“We are engaging with government to see what we can learn from all over the world in terms of other jurisdictions that have done better with listing these companies.

“Also, we are boots on the ground across the world wooing companies to list on the JSE,” added Mokorosi.

Mining Weekly: What in your view should be done to ensure investor support for junior mining companies that are aspiring to list?

Mokorosi: We've seen some slithers of hope. Copper 360 was a successful listing recently. We've also seen Southern Palladium list in the last year or so. We are seeing some of those listings coming through, but certainly more needs to be done. It was interesting to see the government's one year review of their exploration strategy and talking about things like the flow-through shares concept that we can borrow from the Canadian market, talking about the cadastral system that can show where all of the mining rights and the prospecting rights are, and also being clear on BBBEE. All of this is government policy that can help reinvigorate the small end of the market.

“We've also been engaging with asset managers and other buy-side participants. We’re all putting our shoulder to the wheel to make smaller companies feel more welcome on the exchange and specifically give them access to capital. That's been an important theme for our activities,” said Mokorosi.

South Africa has a reputation of being a mining Mecca, yet it has less than 40 listed mining companies, while other mining jurisdictions have hundreds. What should be done to encourage more mining listings and to match other mining jurisdictions at the big end of the market as well?

It's a frustration and a pity that we face on a daily basis as well. We certainly are engaging government on the capital raising side – and I've mentioned some of those great initiatives that the government is working on – but even on the financial market side, we've seen regulation that makes it harder for institutional investors to take more risk on earlier stage mining companies, like exploration companies or junior miners. We’ve seen legislation that makes it harder for individuals to get tax deductions on investing in small caps. We are engaging with government on the way that capital gains tax is treated for individuals...

In its first power purchase agreement, platinum group metals, green metals and gold producer Sibanye-Stillwater has achieved financial close for an 89 MW wind energy project.

Under the terms of the 15-year agreement, a project consortium will fund, build, and operate the large wind farm, with construction expected to begin next month and commercial operation scheduled for early 2025.

“This marks our first major step in delivering over 550 MW of our renewable project portfolio and is a significant milestone in our journey to carbon neutrality by 2040,” Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman stated in a media release to Mining Weekly.

The renewables project will not only play a pivotal role in reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change but also result in cost savings on electricity and provide energy security benefits for Sibanye-Stillwater's South Africa operations. Additionally, it will contribute to addressing the electricity challenges in South Africa.

"We look forward to bringing the project into operation,” Froneman added.

By way of a wheeling agreement with State power utility Eskom, Castle Wind Farm, located near the town of De Aar in the Northern Cape, will generate the wind energy for supply to Sibanye-Stillwater’s South Africa operations.

The project consortium consists of African Infrastructure Investment Managers, through its renewable energy project development and delivery platform, African Clean Energy Developments and Reatile Renewables.

A division of Old Mutual Alternative Investments, African Infrastructure Investment Managers has invested in the project through its domestic IDEAS infrastructure equity fund.

The multinational Sibanye-Stillwater mining and metals processing group, with a diverse portfolio of operations, projects and investments across five continents, is a global recycler of autocatalysts and has interests in mine tailings retreatment operations.

As a primary producer of platinum, palladium and rhodium and a top-tier gold producer, the Johannesburg- and New York-listed Sibanye produces and refines iridium and ruthenium, nickel, chrome, copper and cobalt.

The group has recently begun to build and diversify its asset portfolio into battery metals mining and processing and is increasing its presence in the circular economy by growing and diversifying its recycling and tailings reprocessing operations globally.

Dual-listed Pan African Resources (PAR) has reduced its production guidance to 175 000 oz for the year ended June 30, citing loadshedding and lower-than-expected ramp-up of operations at the Barberton Mines, in Mpumalanga.

The company also expects lower production from the Evander Mines’ underground operations, compared with what was expected at the start of the year.

Production guidance was initially set at between 195 000 oz and 205 000 oz.

Pan African advises production guidance for the financial year ending June 30, 2024, has been set at between 178 000 oz and 190 000 oz.

The impact of the lower gold production guidance in the reporting year has been partially offset by a higher gold price compared with last year; however, all-in sustaining costs will be higher at between $1 325/oz and $1 350/oz, compared with an initial expectation of $1 320/oz.

Pan African estimates it lost 10 000 oz worth of production owing to loadshedding, which impacted all of the group’s operations in South Africa, with load curtailments, power outages and surges, as well as difficulties related to transformers and other Eskom infrastructure, contributing to production disruptions.

To this end, PAR has been aggressively rolling out its renewable energy plans, to mitigate the impacts of these challenges.

The company explains that Evander underground operations underperformed in the reporting year, owing to geological challenges, particularly the faulting of the Kimberley Reef at the tail end of the 8 Shaft Pillar mining area.

Further, although there was slower-than-anticipated ramp-up of mining at the Fairview and Royal Sheba operations, as part of Barberton Mines, Pan African says production improvements have been noted in the latter months of the year.

Notably, optimisation of mining methods at two of Sheba’s stopes has improved underground grade and production, with an increase in monthly production from 6 600 t a month in the seven months to February 28, 2023, to 8 700 t a month during February to April.

A marked improvement in the Fairview production tonnes has also been noted. The average tonnes produced for the three months before April 30, 2023 increased by more than 10% to about 9 100 t a month, compared with an average of 8 100 t a month in the first seven months of the financial year.

Both mines are projected to deliver at least 5% a increase in tonnage.

Pan African says implementation of the Consort mine contractor model has progressed slower than expected, with challenges having been encountered during the recruitment process. A full production ramp-up for the operation, however, is expected in June.

Moreover, the company expects to start building the plant for the latest addition in its portfolio, the Mintails project. Steady-state production from the commissioned project is expected by December 2024.

PAR will release its results for the 2023 financial year on September 13.

The construction phase of the new Gugulethu Colliery is in full swing.

“We’ve started working on the box cut with the anticipation that first coal will be extracted sometime around July/August this year,” Menar MD Vuslat Bayoglu tells Mining Weekly. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

The R600-million capital being expended on the Gugulethu project in Mpumalanga makes up more than half of the R1.04-billion worth of investment in South Africa pledged by Menar at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s South Africa Investment Conference.

Menar pledged an overall R1.04-billion at the fifth SA Investment Conference to fund two mining ventures that fall under its subsidiary, Canyon Coal. A further R440-million will go towards developing the Thuso project, also in Mpumalanga.

The fully licensed Gugulethu Colliery, southeast of Hendrina, is projected to create 400 jobs.

Developments have progressed well, despite delays in the construction of the road at the beginning due to heavy rains.

Two teams working on the box cut are removing the topsoil and stockpiling it separately.

The refurbished processing plant infrastructure is scheduled to be operational by September.

The first phase of opencast operation is expected to produce 200 000 t of run-of-mine coal a month. The second phase, which consists of underground mining, should resume in seven years.

Thuso, in Bethal, is also fully licensed and work on its infrastructure plan is being finalised.

“If the coal prices stabilise, we should be able to start developing Thuso by the fourth quarter of this year. Both these mines will supply the export market because the local market is currently not viable due to Eskom not burning enough coal,” Bayoglu points out.

Mining Weekly: The last time we spoke, you expressed confidence that South Africa’s coal export logistics problems would be sorted out. Are you still of that view?

Bayoglu: I think we will have the most competitive tariffs in the world, should the situation at Transnet stabilise. But the challenge is that the unavailability of locomotives is yet to be resolved, resulting in Transnet’s continued underperformance. We know that Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan recently visited China to fix the situation but there is no feedback on whether the diplomatic intervention was a success or not. Transnet might also have other challenges on top of the unavailability of locomotives. I am sure that Transnet CEO Portia Derby has assessed the situation and she will take the necessary steps to steer the organisation in the right direction. A few years ago, they offered severance packages, which led to the organisation losing a lot of experienced people. Perhaps Transnet should consider roping those professionals back in because they were effective in handling things like maintenance and running the lines efficiently. The Transnet and Freight Rail CEOs are open in their communication but the challenge is that they are not making critical decisions on time which creates a lot of frustration in the industry. I am very hopeful that the problem will be fixed. Complaining is not going to help us. We must engage in constructive discussions and try to come up with solutions because there is only one Transnet and to build another one could take us another 40 or 50 years.

Another challenge is that there seems to be some reluctance toward private sector involvement when it comes to rail. I do not think they should be afraid, because the private sector has the potential to add value by coming up with new ideas and less bureaucratic procurement processes. Transnet can still be in control through regulating the industry and owning the infrastructure. Mining industry companies that move various bulk commodities through the ports like chrome, manganese and coal are prepared to work with Transnet. This is not to say that the private sector wants to tell Transnet how to run its affairs, but rather to work with the rail operator under its guidance.

Once we have ...

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer recycled platinum group metals; the International Council on Mining and Metals' focus on aluminium, copper, silicon, steel to accelerate the circular economy; and the Wits University carbon storage brainstorming ‘techathon’ that Sibanye-Stillwater is funding.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from recycled platinum group metals (PGMs) are up to 95% lower than for freshly mined PGMs, so there's a lot of focus on getting recycled ounces, says SFA Oxford CEO Henk de Hoop.

Already one carmaker wants only recycled PGMs from 2030, adds De Hoop, who was talking to Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview on the biggest takeaways from this year’s SFA Oxford platinum lectures. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

“We see a lot of activity and companies wanting to enter into the recycling chain. It's already quite busy on the catalyst side for the exhaust business and even in the oil refining business, many closed loops are already in place and companies wanting to enter recycling to secure metal for their future operations as well,” he adds.

At the same time, the hydrogen economy is presenting very broad and varied opportunities for PGMs, well beyond electrolysers, for which iridium thrifting has been hugely successful, and fuel cells.

“We're talking up to 80% less iridium,” De Hoop reports

The iridium ensures that green hydrogen becomes affordable, available and widely applied in order to use the technologies that consume platinum, which is the sustainable metal for the PGM industry in South Africa.

It is estimated that about $500-billion will be spent by 2030 on hydrogen economy initiatives.

“There's a lot of momentum that was never there before,” says De Hoop.

This year’s platinum lectures were focused on the hydrogen economy.

“Firstly, it's very broad based, it's diving into all areas of the hydrogen economy, well beyond electrolysers and fuel cells.

“Secondly, it’s still uncertain in what that will translate to for PGM demand. It’s positive, but the sheer scale of that momentum is as yet difficult to translate into PGM numbers and at the moment, we’re doing a big project on trying to get some clarity on that.”

Mining Weekly: What new fields are emerging that require the catalysis that platinum group metals are able to provide?

De Hoop: A wide range of industries are being developed and ramped up that are requiring quite big production volumes, such as the production of ammonia, methanol or e-fuels. In a variety of these applications, PGM catalysis is required. As that ramps up in coexistence with other PGM consuming industries in the hydrogen fuel cell sector, we expect new sectors of demand to become increasingly important for PGMS. Some PGM catalyst manufacturers are starting to develop their own core business initiatives in the hydrogen economy to offset some of the maturation of their own vehicle exhaust catalyst businesses. We now need to get a good handle on the scale of new demand for palladium that can emerge, and for rhodium – although for rhodium, it's probably less clear at this stage than it is for palladium.

What role can PGMs play when it comes to drug production and pharmaceutical medications?

We had a great presentation from Heraeus and following the Covid pandemic, it’s clear that fast methods of scaling up active pharmaceutical ingredients – APIs – are becoming increasingly important for governments around the world, and PGMS can play a role in this great business opportunity. Heraeus spoke not only about the consumption of PGMs in the medication itself, but also the providing the catalysis to produce these medicines fast, at scale and economically. In a way it’s exciting. We shouldn't forget, though, that the timelines to get new medicines on the markets are normally quite long, and the actual volume of PGMs consumed in those applications is not going to change the future direction. That will very much have to come from the hydrogen economy rather than these niche applications. They help and they’re great, but they're not necessarily going to change the economics of producing PGMs.

What should be done to improve the supply of PGMs by stepping up recycling?

PGMS are very recyclable. There are processes where some of the PGMs get lost, but, for example, the exhaust cata...

In setting up to accelerate a global circular economy, the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) will be focusing on the value chains of wind turbines and solar photovoltaic panels and zeroing in on aluminium, copper, silicon and steel.

ICMM members include the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American, Glencore, Gold Fields, Sibanye-Stillwater and South32 and circular economics involves reducing material use, redesigning products to be less resource intensive, and recapturing “waste” as a resource to manufacture afresh.

On May 23, ICMM announced new research partnerships to investigate the role of the mining and metals sector in accelerating a global circular economy.

In so doing, it is setting out to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and aims of the Paris Agreement.

ICMM’s partnerships are with Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, Enel Foundation and Circle Economy, with the research also exploring how mining companies can adopt new circular concepts and operations, and interact with value chains.

This work will be based on information and data gained from collaboration with the industry policy-makers, investors, financiers, research institutions, and downstream purchasers of metals.

The partnership with Circle Economy aims to better understand the flow of the key transition minerals and metals – which will be covered in the initial research with Columbia Center and Enel – and their end use in solar panels and wind turbines in key markets.

The research is expected to produce a clear set of indicators that can support mining companies and others in the value chain to develop partnerships and business opportunities that maximise circularity, while creating socio-environmental and economic value.

“Minerals and metals are at the heart of a just energy transition. They will power our energy and transport systems of the future, and are critical in enabling a global circular economy,” ICMM innovation director Christian Spano stated in a release to Mining Weekly.

By working to eliminate waste, designing land use to be regenerative so that it can continue to add value long after mine closure, and developing initiatives to recover and repurpose metals from downstream products, mining operations are seen to have a great opportunity to drive prosperity for resource-rich countries and supply the durable materials the world needs.

“But, to become truly circular, collaboration and innovation across value chains will be vital. We need to understand what conditions are necessary for these durable materials to be recovered at any time, when society needs them, added Spano.

“The mineral intensity of the zero-carbon energy transition will inevitably require an expansion in mining activities, but it will also require mining companies to systemically adopt circularity approaches, based on a comprehensive circular economy strategy,” said Columbia Center research and policy director Perrine Toledano.

“The transition to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions future and the digitalisation of a growing global population will increase the demand for minerals and metals. By partnering at mine sites and along materials value chains, there is an opportunity for companies to accelerate and scale up solutions to increase the value that they can deliver in terms of social and environmental progress combined with economic growth. This lens enables companies and countries to rethink how value is created, in line with sustainable development for all,” Enel senior researcher Silvia Burgos stated.

The view of Circle’s business solutions lead Jacco Verstraeten-Jochemsen is that the transition to a circular economy is a must to realise a safe and just environment for all.

“Doubling the circularity of the global economy will bring the 1.5 ˚C pathways of the Paris Agreement within reach,” Verstraeten-Jochemsen forecast.

“Mining companies have a key role to play in implementing circular econom...

Johannesburg- and New York-listed platinum group metals, green metals and gold mining company Sibanye-Stillwater is funding a brainstorming ‘techathon’ on the challenge of storing carbon in suitable host rock environments in underground mines as part of an environmental protection imperative.

“We have recently started research where the focus is to find the suitable places underground where we can store the carbon,” University of the Witwatersrand’s Wits Mining Institute DigiMine Laboratory head Ahsan Mahboob told Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

“It will help the mining industry because there's a carbon price and mining companies can store carbon in their operations and save a lot on the carbon pricing while also having a positive impact on the environment,” said Mahboob.

Mahboob described as dire the need to conduct research to identify underground sites with suitable host rock endowment.

“Once the carbon is pumped underground, the next step is to monitor the carbon values on a daily basis and receive data in real time in control rooms to ensure that the stored carbon stays there.

“We have the sharp minds in the country who will come forward and solve these challenges with us,” said Mahboob, who aims to hold the brainstorming ‘techathon’ event at the end of June or in early July.

“It’ll be an open, innovative competition and we’re very hopeful that once we have innovators under one roof, we’ll get the solutions.

“The idea is to come up with a solution that can be rolled over to the mining industry at some stage,” said Mahboob.

Mining Weekly: Who will own the intellectual property (IP) that might emerge?

Mahboob: We’re sorting out the legalities. The funding is from Sibanye-Stillwater through DigiMine. We at DigiMine are looking forward to that funding as a seed funding for that particular one group to convert the proof of concept to proof of value. The background IP will be jointly shared by DigiMine, Wits University and Sibanye and the foreground IP will belong to the group of individuals who come up with the solutions – and I believe in the longer run, the IP will be jointly shared by the winning group and university as well.

EVENTUAL UTILISATION TARGETED

On the conclusion of the first phase of the research, the second phase will focus on the potential utilisation of the stored carbon.

“The research focus in one of the universities in Germany is on how we can use this carbon either in a positive way, for example, in a mix for other industries, or to reduce its concentration with other chemicals or gases.

“My personal aim will be on how we can use the carbon for the beneficiation of the mining industry,” said Mahboob.

Mining Weekly: How is the carbon stored?

Mahboob: Think of a big pool underground that can be filled with carbon in the same way as a swimming pool is filled with water. It's not new research but its application in mining is new. What is already happening is the capturing of carbon from the atmosphere and the pumping of it into deep underground vessels through a network of pipes and other channels. Once the carbon is there, the big challenge is to keep the carbon there and one of the key components of carbon storage is host rock and this is where the research and development is required because right now, we have very limited information on the most suitable host rocks where carbon can be stored for long durations. Once mining companies conclude their operations in identified underground areas, we can use those mined-out areas to store and retain carbon for a long duration.

Petroleum company Shell is involved with the biggest projects of this nature that are happening in the world. Shell is basically storing carbon in underground environments. By pumping carbon into underground, they are basically releasing the negative impacts from their daily operations, and the carbon is not releasing into the atmosphere. In South Africa, we don't have what we call carbon pool...

A diamond is forever when we all work together, new De Beers Group CEO Al Cook opined sagaciously in his welcome address at the grand opening of De Beers’ Sightholder Sales South Africa at Sky Park, close to OR Tambo Airport.

De Beers Sightholder Sales South Africa officially unveiled its new rough diamond sorting, valuation and sales facility on May 19 at an event attended by Mineral Resources and Energy the Minister Gwede Mantashe and Gauteng Economic Development MEC Tasneem Motara.

De Beers announced in January that it was relocating its sightholder sales activities in South Africa from Kimberley, where it has been operating since 1974, to Johannesburg following a review of its sorting activities in South Africa.

The relocation supports the government’s strategy to consolidate the country’s mineral beneficiation sector into one area at the Gauteng Industrial Development Zone, close to the international airport.

The relocation also supports the company’s evolving footprint in the country over the past decade, with the world class Venetia mine in the Limpopo province being its only active mine, the Anglo American company stated in a media release to Mining Weekly.

With no mining activities in the Northern Cape since 2015, De Beers is consolidating its remaining operations to be in close proximity to provide efficiency in operating costs, greater effectiveness and to contribute towards the country’s national beneficiation agenda.

Eighty seven employees have been relocated from Kimberley to the new 6747 m2 facility in Sky Park, which has two floors comprising sightholder offices, hand and machine sorting areas, a training academy and a diamond cleaning plant.

“We encourage you to continue investing in South African mining, particularly in the Northern Cape and other provinces,” said Mantashe.

The new facility is part of the global sightholder sales network that sells rough diamonds for beneficiation purposes in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Canada.

It is also responsible for the distribution of De Beers rough diamonds in South Africa and seeks to support the industry at large in maintaining a sustainable diamond manufacturing industry through its beneficiation strategy.

The beneficiation strategy is aligned to the South Africa government’s local beneficiation objectives and engages in a range of activities that aim to support and further the country’s economic goals. These include skills development, enterprise development, industry development, as well as marketing and promotion of South Africa abroad.

Sightholder Sales South Africa has nine sightholders that it sells rough diamonds to ten times a year.

The consistent and predictable supply of rough diamonds to South African sightholders supports their ability to invest in local cutting and polishing factories and together, they have employed 620 cutters and polishers since 2020.

Last year, De Beers Group and several key industry players – including the SA Diamond and Precious Metals Regulator, the SA Diamond Manufacturers Association, the SA Diamond Dealers Club and the State Diamond Trader – partnered to launch a Small Beneficiator Customers pilot programme with seven identified cutting and polishing businesses receiving assistance.