Mining by country

Mining in Eswatini

What Eswatini mines. Below: 1 project held by listed companies.

Mineral rents0%of GDP, 2021. Higher than 0% of countries.
Ores and metals0.6%of merchandise exports, 2023.
On our globe11 projects held by listed companies.
Governance, World Bank WGI 2025
  • Rule of law-0.78above 28% of countries
  • Political stability-0.57above 23% of countries
  • Regulatory quality-0.68above 26% of countries
  • Control of corruption-0.80above 24% of countries
Estimates from −2.5 to +2.5; the bar sits at the country's score.

Mining in Eswatini at a glance

First recorded mining
c. 48,000 years ago (Lion Cavern ochre mine). Optically stimulated luminescence dating reaffirmed the Lion Cavern at Ngwenya as the oldest known intensive ochre mining, at about 48,000 years ago. Source: Nature Communications 15, article 9586
Defining moment
2024: Lion Cavern confirmed as the oldest ochre mine. A Nature Communications study of 173 samples from 15 sites confirmed it, and was led by the German Archaeological Institute and the Senckenberg Centre in Tubingen. Source: Nature Communications 15, article 9586
Mining law
Mines and Minerals Act No. 4 of 2011. Alongside the Diamond Act No. 3 of 2011 and the Mines and Quarries (Safety) Regulations. Source: USGS
Main mines
Havelock (asbestos), Gege (iron), Ngwenya (iron), Dwaleni (tin), Forbes Reef (tin) Source: USGS
Signature minerals
coal Source: USGS

Mining employment from the ILO usually counts all of mining and quarrying, often with oil and gas; national shares of GDP and exports are as each source defines them.

History of mining in Eswatini

What the ground holds. asbestos, clay, diamonds, gold, aggregates, talc and tin. Source: USGS

How prospectors changed the worldThe full mining timeline

Projects held by listed companies

ProjectCompanyMineralsStage
Dokolwayo (Dokowayo) kimberlitesBotswana MineralsDiamondsExploration

Mining elsewhere in Africa

South AfricaDR CongoMozambiqueGhanaMadagascarRwandaNigeriaGuineaMoroccoTanzania

World shares: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, latest year per mineral. Mineral rents, exports and governance: World Bank WDI and WGI. Trade: CEPII BACI. Projects: listed companies' announcements.

Keep exploring

Stories from Eswatini and its minerals

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: The Big Hole by Rudolph Botha, CC BY-SA 3.0.