@phuket guy and @Wasabibarako , I reckon BB must have been...

@phuket guy and @Wasabibarako , I reckon BB must have been visiting Glencore (amongst other big hitters). Apart from all the obvious reasons around Glencore's cobalt strategy, a bit of digging around shows that Gecko and Glencore have M&A history.

Kobus Smit (owner of Gecko) was founder of South African coal company Umbeco Mining (http://www.gecko.na/?page_id=372). Glencore acquired a 43% stake for US$111m in 2011 (http://www.miningmx.com/news/energy/25901-glencore-pays-r900m-for-umcebo-mining/).

You can enjoy reading the history of the deal (including the degree of co-operation between Glencore and "SmitCo") in these legal proceedings: http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACT/2011/56.html

So, the question is: how well do Kobus Smit and Ivan Glasenberg know each other these days? It seems that Smit made his fortune at the time that Glasenberg was a coal trader in South Africa (he joined Glencore in 1984 and was head of coal for Glencore from 1991-2002).