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Patrice Motsepe has relinquished his executive duties at African Rainbow Minerals, the diversified mining company he helped found more than two decades ago, in a leadership change tied to new Johannesburg Stock Exchange requirements.
Motsepe said Monday he will remain on the board and continue as chair, but in a non executive capacity. The company said updated listing rules require that the chair must not be an executive director, prompting the shift that takes effect Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.
In a statement, Motsepe said he had accepted the new role to ensure compliance and that he looked forward to continuing to contribute to the company’s competitiveness. The change is largely structural, but it lands at a moment when investors are scrutinizing costs and capital allocation across South Africa’s mining sector.
ARM also created a new leadership position, appointing Jacques van der Bijl as its first chief operating officer. The company said the role is intended to strengthen operational focus across its portfolio, which spans platinum group metals, gold, thermal coal and ferroalloys.
While Motsepe remains one of the most recognizable figures in African mining and business, the COO appointment may be the more consequential shift for day to day performance. ARM’s shares have risen about 35% over the past 12 months, but the company has lagged some underlying commodity exposures, reflecting the uneven performance of its divisions.
The group’s thermal coal assets have been pressured by weaker prices over the same period. Its ferroalloys business has also faced higher energy costs, and the company has pointed to that strain as a factor behind a steep decline in interim profit last year.
ARM has been reshaping parts of its portfolio. It restructured manganese processing held through Assmang, including the closure of the Cato Ridge ferromanganese smelter and a series of asset sales and disposals. It also wrote down its investment in Bokoni Platinum Mines by 2.2 billion rand and suspended production there, a move that weighed heavily on the platinum group metals division.
In late 2025, the company halted new investments in coal projects, citing policy and compliance costs linked to carbon taxation, emissions reporting and carbon budgeting. ARM is expected to publish full year results on March 5, giving investors a clearer read on how the leadership changes fit into its broader strategy.
