www.afric aoutlookmag.com
K U D U MA N E MA N G A N E S E R E S O U RC E S
w w w . k m r . c o . z a
Kudu m a ne
M a ng a nese
a new breed of
Res o u r c es
black
Africa Outlook takes a look at the opening up of South Africa’s Kalahari manganese fields and Kudumane Manganese Resources’ R1.5 billion manganese mine. By Ian Armitage Project manager Debbie Clark
2
www.aFRICAoutlookmag.com
M
I
N
I
N
G
anganese is a strategic resource for South Africa and the Northern Cape holds approximately 80 percent of the world’s commercial manganese ore reserves. It is used in, amongst other things, the manufacture of stainless steel – indeed, it is an essential component. According to the experts, South Africa’s Kalahari manganese fields are capable of giving manganese ore to the world for next 100 years or so, and this puts the Kudumane Manganese mine in an advantageous position.
The mine was commissioned at the end of 2012 and has produced about 80,000106,000 tonnes of saleable product to-date” The mine was commissioned at the end of 2012 and has produced about 80,000-106,000 tonnes of saleable product to-date. It is located about five kilometres from Hotazel and about 60 kilometres from Kuruman. Kudumane is a Japanese-backed joint venture between empowerment firms Dirleton Minerals and Energy and the Northern Cape Manganese Company. Each of the empowerment partners owns equal shares in each other and Hong Kong-based Asian Minerals Limited (AML), which has expertise in marketing and sales of manganese ore, owns a 49 percent stake in each of the two companies. It is a project we are excited about. So too is Sechaba Letaba, CEO of Kudumane Manganese Resources (KMR). “Manganese has regularly been described as one of South Africa’s Continued
www.aFRICAoutlookmag.com
3
Kudu m a ne
M a ng a nese
saddest mining stories because the country is home to the largest known manganese deposits in the world but infrastructural constraints have meant we only supply about a third of global demand; we want to contribute to changing that,” he says, before explaining that a “change in legislation” opened up the Kalahari manganese fields (KMF) – previously controlled by mining duopoly Assmang and Samancor – to exploitation and led to “the establishment of several new manganese mining projects.” Essentially, from that, Kudumane was born and it is forecast to reach production of 1.5-million tons a year before the end of this year. Continued
Res o u r c es
Bluechip Mining Solutions
Kudumane will use rail and road transport to send ore to Port Elizabeth for the export market and will ultimately use the Coega port. It also wants to build a sintering plant to improve the value of the manganese it is selling”
Bluechip Mining Solutions is a multi-disciplinary mining solution contractor with attractive cost margins, low risk and applied safe service practices Our fleet of loading and hauling equipment enables us to handle any tonnage for large-scale opencast mining operations. We are able to drill any hole diameter, according to individual drilling requirements. We are currently drilling 230 000 to 250 000 meters per month for 8 blasthole drilling sites and can proudly say that our capacity and fleet has outstripped current service providers As a registered explosives handler with the South African Police Service we perform trusted blasting services Our mechanical staff and fully equipped engineering workshop allow us to rebuild and modify equipment per rock type for a longer lifespan and sustained delivery per target set by our customers With the ability to render either segmental or full-scale mining processes we proudly provide individualized, cost-effective services to top companies like Anglo American, PPC, Assmang and BHP Billiton Tel +27 53 712 2858
www.bcms.co.za
Kudu m a ne
M a ng a nese
It will ramp up to two-million tons a year, then 2.5 million tons and eventually three-million tons as mining moves underground. The mine will employ over 300 people in what is one of South Africa’s poorest regions (John Taolo Gaetsewe) and the main components of the project are an open pit and underground mine, with further underground mining in the future, a crushing and screening plant, mine residue disposal storage and facilities, and various support infrastructure. Kudumane will use rail and road transport to send ore to Port Elizabeth for the export market and will ultimately use the Coega port. It also wants to build a sintering plant to improve the value of the manganese it is selling. “We have 1km by 1km diameter pit, which is quite big. We can get a lot from this. This phase – York – will run
Res o u r c es
extract the volumes that we require. “At this time, we are busy completing our rail siding and we are continuing with A lot of the new guys our load out station; later on, maybe do not necessarily have the three years time, we will actually build our main processing plant.” infrastructure ready and SA can expect a bright manganese this will give them time future if “certain challenges can be to qualify for Transnet’s overcome so that full export potential rail allocation. From there is realised.” One of the challenges is that the ports I think the volumes will networks, which are used to transport increase as we strive for ore to export destinations or smelters for three-million tons a year” further processing, are not able to provide the capacity required by the industry. A large portion of the country’s for 10 years,” says Letaba. “The next manganese is exported from Port one has a life of more than 100 years. Elizabeth. The rail infrastructure is That is called Telele. That will be a little congested, owing to a lack of capacity bit deeper – 1,000 metres deep – and and an increasing number of entrants we will access that through a decline into the sector. shaft in the fifth year of our operation. “A lot of people now have mining We will start developing underground towards Telele and prepare it so we can rights,” says Letaba, who once
M
I
N
I
worked as the senior general manager at Assmang’s manganese mine near Kuruman in the Northern Cape. “For South Africa it is very comforting to see that Transnet is going to include new entrants in the rail allocation process of MECA 2.” The process, which Transnet has postponed to September 2013, will give the new entrants time to get the “necessary infrastructure in place”. “A lot of the new guys do not necessarily have the infrastructure ready and this will give them time to qualify for Transnet’s rail allocation. From there I think the volumes will increase as we strive for three-million tons a year. That is our goal. As much as it might sound ambitious, open pit mining does offer some advantages over traditional deep shaft mining on both cost and extraction rates.” Letaba is driven to succeed: “The success of this project is my success and its death is my death.” Manganese demand is expected to grow by about seven percent over the next five years, with strong demand from emerging economies. To learn more about the mine visit www.kmr.co.za.
N
G
ISO accredited mineral, water and coal laboratory. Conveniently located branches to provide personalised, quick services. On-site laboratory services available.
30 Electron Avenue, Isando, 1601, Johannesburg, Gauteng Telephone: +27 11 923 7100 | +27 11 923 7029 www.setpointlabs.co.za
E n q u iries Tel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 151 Tel (SA): +27 (0) 21 527 0053 ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com
Willow Brook Rd Melrose Place
S U B S CRI P TIO N S
Tel: 011 880 2771
Tel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 144
Email: info@kmr.co.za
ian.armitage@outlookpublishing.com
www.kmr.co.za
www.africaoutlookmag.com