SIYATHEMBA
MYNuusblad 4th EDITION / MARCH 2022
D e v e l o p i n g a 2 1 st c e n t u r y S o u t h A f r i c a n c o p p e r - z i n c m i n e
WELCOME TO THE NEWSLETTER Welcome to the fourth edition of Orion’s newsletter for the communities of Siyathemba and Vanwyksvlei! This publication is a way for the company to share updates on Orion and mining, as well as news that impacts our host communities.
NEWS FLASH
Tell us what YOU want included in this newsletter! Send ideas and suggestions to Geraldo via WhatsApp on
060 468 9549
IN THIS ISSUE
ORION MINERALS COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
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Message from CEO
2
Copper driving the green energy revolution
3
Community updates
5
Congratulations to the class of 2022
5
Update on SEF members
5
Sports stars shine at Prieska, Niekerkshoop and Marydale Sports Day
5
Back to School Bicycles
6
Tackling HIV/Aids – Niekerkshoop World Aids Day
6
HIV/Aids
7
COVID-19 – get your vaccine booster
8
MESSAGE FROM
THE CEO
Greetings to everyone in the Siyathemba and Vanwyksvlei communities.
You may have heard by now that Orion Minerals is looking at ways of fast-tracking production at the Prieska Copper- Zinc Mine. What this means is that we are investigating the possibility of rescheduling the order of development by bringing the open pit construction forward. We are also hoping to access and mine the underground pillars left as support by the previous owners, in a way that keeps the mine safe and supported by backfill. If we can plan to mine at the same time as we pump out the 8.5 million cubic metres of water currently in the mine, we may be able to achieve production 14 months earlier, thus potentially producing copper and zinc concentrate by 2024 rather than 2026 as originally planned. The water must be removed before we can start mining the deeper orebody.
also excited to announce that Murray & Roberts and Orion will also be offering 10 Siyathemba community members learnership opportunities at the Murray & Roberts Training Centre later in the year.
But before we decide whether this is a good idea, we need to find out whether there is enough copper and zinc ore above the water for us to start mining. This is why Murray & Roberts has been brought in for the highly specialized underground drilling needed to confirm our estimates. This drilling will test the grade and extent of the mineral deposits above the water, as well as the stability of the underground mine.
In the meantime, we have made some progress with regard to the Community Participation Framework. As agreed at the October Bosberaad, Orion has facilitated the establishment of a Task Team, which will help us establish interim targets for local employment, procurement and contracting opportunities.
Murray & Roberts has been identified as a contractor with the highly specialised equipment and skills to conduct this work quickly, so we can press ahead with early development. While the special skills to do this drilling were not available in Siyathemba, we have ensured that Murray & Roberts, a Level 1 BEE company who has the skills, will provide opportunities to the Siyathemba community through employment and skills training. They have agreed to employ five people from Siyathemba and provide underground competency training for an additional six community members during the drill program. We are
We hope to complete the drilling and decide which route we will take to production by July this year.
The Task Team is chaired by Ivan Steenkamp and met twice in February. Terms of reference were tabled at the last meeting, opening the way for the Task Team to push ahead with its mandate in the weeks ahead. Orion with some community representatives have set aspirational targets of 50% local employment, 30% local procurement and 40%
Errol Smart / Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer PAGE 2
contracting opportunities for the Prieska Copper-Zinc Mine and we are grateful for all those who participated in the Bosberaad and those who continue to work with us as we seek to take the Siyathemba community with us as we grow.
Stay well.
COPPER DRIVING THE GREEN ENERGY
REVOLUTION Already an indispensable material in our everyday life, copper will soon have an even bigger role as a vital ingredient in the Green Energy Revolution. But what is the Green Energy Revolution and what are the green metals that are driving this change to cleaner energies?
What is climate change and is it different to global warming? While climate change and global warming may seem like the same thing, they are different. Global warming refers only to the Earth’s rising surface temperature, caused mainly by greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. Climate change, on the other hand, includes warming and the effects of warming like melting glaciers, heavier rainstorms, or more frequent drought.
ORION MINERALS COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
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What is the Green Energy Revolution? The negative impact caused by the speed of climate change and global warming has forced a global shift to cleaner, greener and more environmentally friendly energy sources. Across the world governments and companies are working to cut global emissions caused by fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal. These traditional forms of energy are being phased out and replaced with solar, wind, and hydro energy, or green energy. Green energy is any energy type that is generated from natural resources, such as sunlight, wind or water. The key with these energy resources is that they don’t harm the environment through factors such as releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This shift to cleaner energies is called the Green Energy Revolution.
COPPER DRIVING THE GREEN ENERGY REVOLUTION continued
Why should we care? Global warming (the rising of the Earth’s temperatures) is one symptom of the much larger problem of human-caused climate change. Human-caused because the changes witnessed over the past decade have not been natural. Human activities like generating electricity, driving cars and cutting down the trees in forests are some of the reasons causing changes to weather systems. According to temperature analysis led by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the average global temperature on Earth has increased by at least 1.1° Celsius since 1880. While
What are green metals and how can they help fight climate change?
that may not seem like a lot, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that Earth is warmer than it has been for 125,000 years and it’s getting worse. Modern society’s continued dependence on fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal are warming the world at a dangerous pace. As temperatures rise in the future extreme weather events like droughts and flooding will become increasingly severe. They say that events that may have occurred once every 50 years in centuries past will probably occur every 3–4 years if Earth reaches 2 °C above pre-industrial temperatures.
To stop the Earth’s temperatures from rising further, the world must phase out and replace oil, gas, and coal with solar, wind, and hydro energy. This shift from “dirty” energy to cleaner energies is called the Green Energy Revolution and this is where the metals that Orion will produce come into play. Copper and zinc are two of only a handful of metals that are used in these technologies. Known as green metals, these metals play an important role in greening the future.
“This shift from “dirty” energy to cleaner energies is called the Green Energy Revolution and this is where the metals that Orion will produce come into play”
Renewable energy systems like solar, wind and hydro, consume about five times more copper than other power generation systems. This makes copper essential for any successful transition to fossil fuel alternatives. Also, about three times more copper is used for electric vehicles in comparison to petrol vehicles.
How will Orion Minerals help to drive the Green Metals revolution? PAGE 4
Orion Minerals has seen a great opportunity for green metals in the Northern Cape, which has a wealth of potential for solar and wind power as well as abundant copper and zinc reserves. Through its flagship Prieska Copper-Zinc Project and the Okiep Copper Project, Orion aims to supply these much-needed metals for the green energy transition and help reduce carbon emissions not only at its own operations but contribute to the global fight against climate change.
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Congratulations to the class of 2021 “I didn’t see another career for me and I worked really hard to achieve it” Despite another challenging academic year impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the class of 2021 remained resilient and achieved outstanding matric results. Orion Minerals would like to congratulate the 2021 matriculants for achieving a pass rate of 76.4%. The Northern Cape province showed the greatest improvement across all the provinces, achieving a pass rate of 71.4% in 2021 compared with 66% in the previous year. The Namakwa District achieved the highest district pass rate of 81.2% in the province. Both Gariep High School and Prieska High School achieved outstanding results securing a pass rate of 87, 6 %, and a 100 % pass rate respectively. Among the top achievers is 18-year-old Brumilda Sindlet from Prieska High School
who finished the year as top of her class and valedictorian, achieving two distinctions in Afrikaans Home Language and English First Additional Language at Prieska High School. Brumilda, who is currently enrolled for a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) degree at the University of the Free State, has always had a love of Life Sciences and credits the support of her parents and teachers in helping her achieve her dream of studying to become a doctor. “Since I can remember I have always had the huge desire to become a doctor. I didn’t see another career for me and I worked really hard to achieve it,” explained Brumilda. Orion wishes all the 2021 students all the best with their future and we look forward to the excellent results from the matric class of 2022.
Update on SEF members Orion Minerals pays tribute to Stakeholder Engagement Forum (SEF) members August Mouers and Paul Martin who passed away in 2021. We would like to express our deepest condolences to their family, friends and colleagues and thank them for their service and dedication to their community. The Company would like to thank SEF member George Plaaitjies, who resigned in 2021, for his services to the community during his tenure.
August Mouers
Paul Martin
Sports stars shine at Niekerkshoop and Marydale Sports Day Sports fans gathered on 18 December 2021 at the RD Williams Primary School Grounds to support local soccer and netball players from Prieska, Niekerkshoop and Marydale for a day filled with fun and friendly competition. The tournament, which hosted around 56 participants, was sponsored by Orion Minerals, the Department of Transport, Safety, and Liaison, SAPS Prieska, and the Siyathemba Local Football Association. The event, which saw teams from Marydale and Niekerkshoop participate in seven-a-side soccer and netball tournament, follows the successful community sports day held in Siyathemba in 2019. ORION MINERALS COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
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Celta Vigo took the top spot as the winner of the soccer tournament with the Rising Eagles taking second place while in the netball tournament, Turboz emerged victorious with Turboz Netball coming in second. Orion Minerals and DSTL jointly contributed towards the refreshments and transport during the tournament.
COMMUNITY UPDATES
Back to school
Bicycles With students returning to school after the December holidays, Orion Minerals continued to roll out its “Scholar Mobility” project in January by distributing 40 more bicycles to four schools across Marydale, Van Wyksvlei, Niekerkshoop and Blouberg.
“Orion Minerals continued to roll out its “Scholar Mobility” project in January by distributing 40 more bicycles to four schools”
The pre-loved bicycles were donated by Bicycles for Humanity Western Australia (B4H) and were brought to Prieska by Orion Minerals while helmets were donated by Mulilo and reflectors were donated by the Provincial Department of Education. Orion previously distributed bikes, which were allocated for use by deserving learners, to four schools in Prieska in October 2021 and plans to roll out further bicycles in the coming months.
Tackling HIV/ Aids and the Niekerkshoop World Aids Day celebration To call-to-mind, the importance of fighting against HIV/Aids and the stigma around the disease, health care workers from Siyathemba ‘Niekerkshoop Clinic held an awareness and educational campaign from the 1st December 2021 in support of World Aids Day. The campaign emphasised the need for HIV/ Aids counseling, prevention of mother-tochild transmission, treatment options and the importance of infected patients maintaining
their health. Despite the advancements made in HIV/Aids treatments, discrimination and the stigma around infection remains a reality for many people living with the disease. The awareness campaign culminated in the painting of Niekerkshoop mountain on 10 December 2021. In an effort to unite the community and encourage community members to be part of the pledge to end Aids, the words “Niekerkshoop vs Aids” were painted on the mountain side. PAGE 6
Orion Minerals, Ward Councilor Willon Pieterse, PR Councilor Mauricia Nimmerhout, SAPS, Niekerkshoop Youth Development Centre, and the Department of Health’s clinic, participated in the painting of the signage with the aim of striving for zero new infections, stopping discrimination, and ending preventable deaths associated with HIV/Aids in the community by 2030.
HIV/AIDS How can you help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDs:
HIV/AIDs is spread through:
Unprotected sex
Blood transfusions
Pregnancy
Use condoms during sex Use sterile needles and syringes for all injections Get regular HIV tests If you are HIV positive, take your medication as prescribed
Unsterile needles and syringes
“Let us give publicity to HIV/AIDS and not hide it, because the only way to make it appear like a normal illness, like TB, like cancer, is always to come out and to say somebody has died because of HIV” – former South African president, Nelson Mandela
HIV/AIDs is not spread through: > Touching > Kissing > Through food > Insect bites > Using toilets and bathrooms
ORION MINERALS COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
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GET YOUR COVID-19
BOOSTER VACCINE The Covid-19 booster vaccines are now available to those who have already had their first two vaccinations. The booster vaccine will help strengthen your immunity against the Covid-19 virus, help prevent infection, hospitalisation, and death. You can get the Covid-19 booster vaccine if: • You are 18 years and older • If it has been 60 days or more days since you received your single-dose J&J vaccine or 90 days or more since you received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. If you have not yet been vaccinated please do so for the sake of your family, friends and community. Please visit your local clinic to find out more information and to get your Covid-19 booster vaccine.
HOW TO REACH US
Watch out for our new mobile community office in your area. You can also reach us via WhatsApp on 060 468 9549 PAGE 8
