Vanderschuren – SAICE’s new president

The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) recently welcomed its 119th president, Prof Marianne Vanderschuren. Vanderschuren is the third female president in SAICE’s history, following in the footsteps of Dr Allyson Lawless and Prof Elsabe Kearsley. In recent years, SAICE has strived to promote diversity and inclusion in the civil engineering industry.

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BME WINS INDUSTRY AWARD FOR SAFE DISPOSAL OF USED OIL

Omnia group company BME has been recognised by the Chemical and Allied Industries’ Association (CAIA) for its contribution to a cleaner environment – winning the CAIA Responsible Care Initiative of the Year Award, in the company projects: Category A segment.

The award was for BME’s incorporation of used oil as a base product for its emulsion explosives, removing the risk that this oil could contaminate water or soil.

Ramesh Dhoorgapersadh, BME’s general manager for safety, health, environment and quality, says the initiative reflects the company’s close collaboration with customers – where used oil from large mining customers is also collected and used for repurposing and responsible disposal through the blasting process. These partnerships have been initiated in Africa and are being rolled out to BME’s global network of operations.

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NSDV REBRANDS

Targets multiple stakeholders

By Rodney Weidemann

Law firm NSDV has rebranded itself as an integrated professional services entity, providing services across the mining, environmental and construction industries. The mining industry – and even more so, the law firms that service it – have long had a reputation for being staid and by the book, an image reinforced by their penchant for suits, shag carpets and mahogany panelling. That has all changed with the recently rebranded NSDV (formerly Nupen Staude de Vries), a boutique specialist firm with an alternative approach, in that it not only advises on legal risks and problems, but also offers pragmatic business solutions based on its wide-ranging management experience. According to NSDV director and cofounder Lili Nupen, the aim of the company’s rebranding exercise is to position the business as an integrated professional services entity, as opposed to merely a law firm. “NSDV’s customers are particularly drawn to our organisation’s youth, its new ideas, and the staff’s personable approach to matters. NSDV also aims to be different to mining’s more traditional and old-school feel by adopting as its new colour scheme pinks and blues to represent its balance between being light and fun, but still very serious when it comes to business,” she says. “We chose to adopt our old acronym as the company’s new name, as most people referred to us in this manner anyway. Our new corporate colours are designed to imply a business that is very approachable, easy to talk to, and fun to work with. I like to think we also exude a level of ‘feminine’ energy that stands out significantly in the broadly masculine world of mining. These are all attributes that are sorely lacking in the legal and mining industries.”

A NEW SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

She notes that it is because of this new approach and the strong relations built prior to rebranding that the company has experienced significant recent growth.

“The key aspect of the new NSDV is that we have repositioned ourselves as an integrated advisory and legal solutions business for the mining and related sectors. >

“NSDV specialises in the mining, environmental and construction industries. “ – Nupen

The complacency of mere compliance

Of the many risks that mining executives must navigate, community engagement and social license-to-operate challenges are now amongst the most prominent. The days of imagining that those challenges can be overcome through compliance with legislation alone are over. Greater profi tability demands that communities be treated like the stakeholders they are, as this has been proven to allow operations to function with unhindered effi cacy.

NSDV’s Community Engagement Solution off ers a unique, innovative and – above all – successful approach to this pressing issue. Our highly experienced team has been working in local communities for over four decades resolving the innumerable challenges corporate entities face when engaging in social upliftment discussions. These resolutions can be implemented on your behalf, too, to improve both your bottom line and the lives of others.

With us, doing good really does make good business sense. Reach out today for a thoroughly comprehensive overview of the myriad on-the-ground realities you may currently be unaware of, and the implementable steps we guarantee won’t simply alleviate their impact, but turn them to your advantage.

We’re just a truly transformative consultation away at NSDV.com

The rebranding“ exercise is to position the business “ as an integrated professional services entity, as opposed to merely a law firm. – Nupen

We have done this to highlight that our firm specialises in several unique areas that ultimately work hand in hand – namely the mining, environmental, and construction industries,” she says.

“Our integrated, oriented and practical o ering within the mining sector has really taken o , particularly with many of the junior miners that generally don’t have the resources to employ their own legal teams, so they contract us in as needed.

“We operate on the principle that mining has a multitude of stakeholders, and success depends on having good relationships with all of them. This includes the communities a ected by the mining – we see part of our role as being to clearly understand their needs and engage with them.”

To this end, she says, NSDV has created two new solutions, one designed to significantly assist junior miners and the other aimed at community engagement. The first of these, a Mineral Rights Management o ering, focuses on helping juniors and established players manage their rights compliance.

“Essentially, we undertake a complete review of their mining rights and environmental authorisations – something of a mini due diligence – and take responsibility for managing and ensuring the compliance of these rights, such as lodging renewals timeously, or alerting the client to the fact that the numerous mining and environmental regulatory report are due.

“For us, it is all about ensuring they remain compliant with what we consider to be their most valuable asset, since you don’t really have a mine without a mining right and their ancillary authorisations.

“We also ensure compliance, and with this solution, we are able to foresee potential problems early – such as another entity applying for the same right or launching some form of legal challenge – and can thus address these rapidly through a timeous response.”

NSDV’s key aim, she continues, is to get its clients into a position where they can begin mining quickly and can operate without interruption. Because NSDV looks a er the various applications and licences through this solution, all the customer has to do, essentially, is dig the ore out of the ground.

FINGER ON THE PULSE

“I think one of the main reasons our o ering is so attractive to mines is that both mining and environmental law changes regularly, and because keeping up to date with legislation is not their core business, they struggle to stay up to date.

“On the other hand, we are a law firm and thus have our finger on the pulse with regard to such amendments. Furthermore, we have good, close relationships with the relevant departments, so are perfectly positioned to alert clients to changes even before they happen, given we are aware of the dra s in process.”

The other o ering being developed by NSDV is its Community Engagement Solution. “With recent case law like the Xolobeni judgment, along with changes in mining legislation, we have noted that communities are finally being recognised and taken more seriously within the process. Look at the recent Shell interdict for example.”

Until recently, she adds, communities tended to be le outside the tent and thus lacked a voice in the process. Dealing with these communities was, in fact, usually viewed as a mere “tick a box” approach for mining organisations.

“Our solution is instead designed to bring these communities into the conversation from the outset. We view this as more than just a compliance issue – these communities are clearly also stakeholders, so we believe they should be treated the same way the mining company would treat unions, employees, or shareholders.

“This is the other core reason for our rebranding – we want to be viewed as a knowledgeable business that is able to educate clients in a way that helps them to make things easier, faster and more sustainable.

“We are aware that lawyers are seen as trusted advisers, and we certainly provide such a service to clients. However, because we are essentially a professional services organisation, we can also provide trusted advice in relation to anything that falls within the construction or environmental arena as well,” she says. ■

NEW SOLUTIONS

NSDV has created two new solutions: one designed to significantly assist junior miners and the other aimed at community engagement.

PLATREEF SECURES $300M IN STREAM FINANCING

TSX-listed Ivanhoe Mines’ South African subsidiary, Ivanplats, has concluded stream-financing agreements with Orion Mine Finance and Nomad Royalty Company for a $200-million gold-streaming facility and a $100m palladium- and platinum-streaming facility for its Platreef palladium-rhodium-platinum-nickel-copper-gold project in Limpopo, South Africa.

The proceeds will be used to advance the first phase of Platreef’s mine development, with commercial production expected in 2024. The definitive feasibility study for Platreef’s phased development plan, which will provide updated production forecasts for the initial mine and subsequent expansion, is nearing completion with release expected in Q1 2022, the company says.

Ivanplats has also signed documents relating to o take arrangements for 100% of Platreef’s Phase 1 platinum-groupmetals (PGMs) concentrate production, which is expected to be more than 40 000tpa containing six payable metals, including palladium, rhodium, platinum, nickel, copper and gold.

AFRIMAT ACQUIRES GLENOVER PHOSPHATE

Open-pit miner Afrimat recently announced the acquisition of Glenover Phosphate for R550-million, consisting of R250m for the assets and an option to purchase 100% of Glenover’s shares for R300m. Glenov er is located near Thabazimbi in the Limpopo province.

Afrimat’s CEO Andries van Heerden says, “Current reserves of phosphate, vermiculite and rare earth elements provide for a resource life of more than 20 years. Afrimat will obtain the inventory deposits of historically mined resources and extend the life of project by acquiring the remaining in situ resource.”

Van Heerden says this acquisition will further expand the group’s o erings in line with its diversification strategy. “The application of these minerals is vast. Phosphates are used in fertilisers and rare earth elements are used in many applications, one of which is for magnets in electric motors.

“The international trend towards electric vehicles is expected to be a big demand driver for this application in future. Vermiculite is used in the construction of fire retardant partitioning boards, and in horticulture as a growth medium, as well as in animal feed and other industrial applications.”

HOGAN LOVELLS ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP FOR AFRICA PRACTICE

Global law firm Hogan Lovells has appointed Olivier Fille-Lambie (Paris) and Arun Velusami (London) to head up its Africa practice.

Both co-chairs are members of Hogan Lovells’ Infrastructure, Olivier Fille-Lambie. Energy, Resources and Projects (IERP) practice area, and of the internal Africa leadership team. Fille-Lambie and Velusami have extensive experience and networks on the continent and are committed to continuing to grow the global Africa practice, the company says.

Velusami has advised developers, lenders and governments across Africa on major infrastructure projects, with particular expertise in the power sector, where he has advised on thermal, solar, wind, biomass and hydro power projects for almost 20 years. Fille-Lambie’s practice focuses on acquisition, project and structured finance, and on Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA), currently applicable in 17 Arun Velusami. African countries.