[India's SAIL posts record 8.39 million tonnes H1 steel output, September sales up 4%]

South Africa is moving to ban cash sales of scrap metal under amendments to the Second-Hand Goods Act, aiming to curb illicit trade and infrastructure vandalism that costs about 45 billion rand (2.5 billion USD) a year. Dealers must retain sellers' data and switch to electronic payments, logging each acquisition or disposal; recyclers must record waste pickers' names and ID numbers. Foreign nationals without verified permanent residency lose trading licences, and gold and chrome are also covered. Stolen cable on Transnet rail lines rose from 120km to 724km a year between 2017 and 2021, with incidents up from under 2,000 to nearly 4,500. Copper theft costs Eskom 5-7 billion rand (280-390 million USD) yearly, plus 2 billion rand (110 million USD) to replace cable. The cabinet approved the bill for public comment in August, with a November 2 deadline.

India's Steel Exchange India Limited reported record monthly and quarterly rebar output at its rolling mill, with September 2026 production of 25,095.035 tonnes beating the prior monthly high of 24,823.509 tonnes set in August by about 271.5 tonnes. The continuous casting machine contributed 17,677.655 tonnes and the reheating furnace 7,417.380 tonnes. Monthly output climbed from 19,698.880 tonnes in July to 24,823.509 tonnes in August and 25,095.035 tonnes in September, lifting July-September volumes to a record 69,617.424 tonnes and pointing to a firmer operating run at the mill. The company filed the figures as an operational update under Regulation 30 of SEBI's Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements Regulations, 2015. Shares traded at about 0.13 USD (11.23 Indian rupees), up 0.09%, on October 5.

The National Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria (NASWDEN) began a 15-day warning strike on October 1, halting scrap supplies to iron-smelting firms over unilateral price cuts, disputed weighing and 1-5% deductions, which dealers say cost 3-4 million naira (about 2,000-2,700 USD) per truckload, versus an earlier estimate of 3-6 million naira. Muda Yusuf of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise said costlier steel threatens construction, manufacturing and housing costs and could let substandard rebar spread. Nigeria needs about 10 million tonnes of steel a year but produces roughly 1.2 million tonnes, mostly from recycled scrap. Some 2.7 billion USD in private capital was lined up in September for projects including Ajaokuta, Delta Steel and new rolling mills.