SA Mining November/December 2021

R130bn: for SA to expedite to clean energy

R371.9bn: mining’s economic input in 2020

SA MIN NG NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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READ WHAT REALLY GOES DOWN IN SADC R39.90 (incl VAT) International R44.50 (excl tax)

UMS

BRELKO

Strengthens portfolio

Eyes the big league

HARMONY

Targets new training technologies

FUTURE-READY

Canyon Coal upskills

Menar’s Nthabiseng Mueti and Xolile Mankayi

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CONTENTS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

10

24 An appetite for the sparkling.

IN BRIEF 6

Mpumi Zikalala – Kumba Iron Ore’s new CEO Thungela receives COALSAFE Award Minerals Council backs net zero GHG target Sibanye-Stillwater eyes Brazilian nickel and copper mines

FEATURES 10

Appetite for the sparkling Diamond industry analyst Paul Zimnisky unpacks the diamond market’s performance, reporting that the industry is on the rebound.

12

TOMRA launches new products TOMRA Mining’s Corné de Jager highlights how some of the latest product innovations being rolled out are helping miners.

22

Equipping the workforce for a digital future Minerals Council South Africa develops a reskilling and upskilling framework and strategy to assist mining companies achieve a just transition of their workforce into the 4IR.

24

36

Harmony looks to new training technologies.

46

Clean energy in the spotlight.

Harmony eyes new training technologies Harmony Gold’s Mark Haywood outlines the search for a training provider that uses the latest technology to improve the effectiveness of training delivery to Harmony employees.

Brelko targets the big league Brelko looks to the local and African market for growth, targeting industry heavyweights Eskom and Rio Tinto’s Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), says Brelko’s MD Kenny Padayachee.

NEWS IN NUMBERS 2 8

R130bn: for SA to expedite to clean energy R371.9bn: mining’s economic input in 2020

REGULARS 4 44

Out of Africa Column by Peter Major

R130bn: for SA to expedite to clean energy

R371.9bn: mining’s economic input in 2020

SA MIN NG NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

www.samining.co.za

READ WHAT REALLY GOES DOWN IN SADC R39.90 (incl VAT) International R44.50 (excl tax)

UMS

Strengthens portfolio

BRELKO

Eyes the big league

HARMONY

Targets new training technologies

FUTURE-READY

Canyon Coal upskills

COVER STORY: PAGE 20

Canyon Coal invests heavily in training and skills development for Industry 4.0, say Menar’s Nthabiseng Mueti and Xolile Mankayi.

Menar’s Nthabiseng Mueti and Xolile Mankayi

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FROM THE EDITOR

SA MIN NG

2021

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AS INTERESTING AS THEY COME

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Stacey Visser Tel: 011 280 3671 Email: vissers@businessmediamags.co.za

supply per year. The companies are set to construct a number of solar photovoltaic facilities both on-mine and at Eskom sites as they look to more than halve their current emissions.

With more big businesses adopting renewables, let’s hope load shedding will soon be a thing of the past. Load shedding has been with us from 2008, and 13 years on, it continues to be a blight on the lives of all South Africans.

Meanwhile, in this edition of SA Mining, we feature diamonds. Despite being in the doldrums for the past few years, the diamond industry is showing signs of improvement and revival.

According to diamond industry analyst Paul Zimnisky’s Global Rough Diamond Price Index, prices were up almost 20% since the start of the pandemic.

Following the fall in global diamond jewellery demand by as much as 15% to 20% in 2020, the industry has since rebounded strongly, says Zimnisky (pg 10).

This renewed confidence in the diamond sector has seen Nungu Diamonds founder Kealeboga Pule ink a landmark partnership with global diamond and jewellery company Pluczenik. Pluczenik’s commitment to invest in South Africa’s economy has set the scene for much-needed job opportunities and skills development, and leads the way for the adoption of new technology to downstream diamond beneficiation. In fact a new cutting and polishing factory, located in Bedfordview on the East Rand, has been established (see pg 18).

Speaking of training and skills development, our cover story, Canyon Coal, is working on being futureready as it upskills in line with Industry 4.0 and trains its workforce to make use of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and big data, among others. The miner has spent over R16-million on skills development over the past five years, and this year alone, despite COVID-19, has injected over R3.6m on upskilling its workforce and the communities surrounding its operations (pg 20).

SA Mining also caught up with the Minerals Council to chat about its skills development initiatives, including its partnership with gold miner Harmony Gold and innovation firm RIIS, which ran an open innovation showcase aimed at identifying highpotential educational innovations and cutting-edge technologies that could be used for skills training and zero harm production in the South African mining industry (pg 22). ■

R371.9-billion

Mining’s contribution to the economy in 2020

2

SA MINING

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

Nelendhre Moodley Tel: 011 280 5782 Email: moodleyne@samining.co.za

ONLINE EDITOR

Nelendhre Moodley

aving lived through some of the “most interesting of times” in the past two years, people are certainly ready to end the roller-coaster ride as they pin their hopes that 2022 will be a much better year.

Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic though, the mining industry has greatly benefited from some record commodity prices, with the sector contributing billions to government’s coffers. According to the Minerals Council’s latest Facts and Figures book, the mining industry in 2020 contributed R371.9-billion, paid R34.7bn in valueadded taxes and R11.8bn in royalties, and exported R450.6bn worth of minerals.

Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter cited higher commodity prices and a weaker rand for the increased revenues and profits.

And as the year winds down, energy-related issues are in sharp focus – be it the never-ending load shedding and associated network issues, the petrol price hike that sees many families dipping further into their pockets, or the COP26 conference held in Glasgow, England, which is pushing for a cleaner energy agenda.

In what is considered to be a watershed moment, the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and the European Union have inked a R130bn deal with South Africa to fasttrack its shift away from coal towards renewables.

The collaboration will see wealthy nations support South Africa’s just transition to a low-carbon economy.

The Minerals Council has also lent its weight to the Paris Agreement’s net zero greenhouse gas emissions, and in line with this is busy developing a Net Zero 2050 Action Plan. The action plan will include an increasing share of investment in renewable energy sources (green hydrogen, solar, wind, battery storage), research, development and innovation into new technologies, ongoing adoption of 4IR technologies and critical skills development, among others.

Meanwhile local power producer Eskom and coal miners Exxaro and Seriti Resources have taken up the clean energy gauntlet and recently signed a memorandum of understanding pursuing the development of renewable energy projects to lower the carbon footprint of their operations.

Exxaro and Seriti are the largest coal suppliers to Eskom, contributing around 80% of Eskom’s coal

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OUT OF AFRICA MALI

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TANZANIA

Exploration company African Gold Group has filed a technical report for its Kobada Gold Project in Mali.

Recent project highlights include a significant production potential of a 3mtpa operation producing 1.2moz of gold over a 16-year life-of-mine.

The average annual gold production is pegged at 100 000oz over the first 10 years. Pre-production capital requirement is estimated at $152-million. The project has substantial exploration upside as there is further potential to significantly increase the resource and reserve along strike and depth at the Kobada Gold Project, the company says.

NAMIBIA

Gold developer Tembo Gold has appointed Andrew Pedley as exploration project manager in northern Tanzania.

This is in anticipation of the commencement of preparations at site and drill rig mobilisation to test highest priority targets.

Pedley is an exploration and resource geologist with 15 years’ experience working on exploration programmes in many African countries. The company is set to focus on specific targeted holes drilling initially at Ngula 1 and other high-potential targets including Nyakagwe East and Nyakagwe Village and testing the new targets with either IP anomalies or geochemical anomalies or based on structural setting.

AIM-listed AfriTin Mining has commenced exploration programmes at its Uis Mine beyond the current V1 and V2 pegmatites.

The programme is designed to expand the size of the current JORC-compliant resource.

CEO Anthony Viljoen says: “The exploration programme has been designed to validate the historical reserves and upgrade them to meet modern JORC requirements, while at the same time it will look to increase the confidence levels of the exciting lithium and tantalum by-product potential.”

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© ISTOCK – getty_dumy67

BOTSWANA

GHANA Giyani Metals, developer of the K.Hill manganese oxide project in Botswana, has filed an NI 43-101 technical report for the K.Hill Project and completed a three-hole diamond drilling programme to verify the characteristics of the newly discovered mineralised horizon at the K.Hill Extension prior to resource estimation.

The drill programme was aimed at confirming the style of mineralisation and the orientation and the structure of the orebody. Geological logging has confirmed that the mineralisation style is that of a manganiferous shale.

CEO Robin Birchall says: “The economics of the K.Hill Project are already highly attractive, but we expect that they will continue to increase in value as the resource grows.”

4

SA MINING

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

ASX-listed gold miner Perseus Mining has reported impressive drilling results from its Nkosuo prospect on the Agyakusu Prospecting Licence, just 7km from its mill at Edikan, Ghana.

Early indications suggest Nkosuo hosts near-surface, granitehosted gold mineralisation similar in style to that mined in Edikan’s Fobinso and Abnabna (AG) pits.

Perseus expects to complete a maiden mineral resource estimate in the March 2022 quarter. Edikan’s mine life is currently forecast to end in FY2025, however the discovery at Nkosuo has the potential to extend the mine life well beyond that date.

Perseus’s CEO Jeff Quartermaine says: “Our exploration programme at Nkosuo has so far returned impressive results that demonstrate the potential of this prospect to add to Edikan’s mine life with further drilling.”

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IN BRIEF

MPUMI ZIKALALA – KUMBA IRON ORE’S NEW CEO MINERALS COUNCIL

BACKS PARIS AGREEMENT’S NET ZERO GHG TARGET The Minerals Council South Africa has voiced its support of the Paris Climate Change Agreement ambition of net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. The council is developing a Net Zero 2050 Action Plan and pathway towards achieving the goal of net zero GHG emissions.

Collaborative work with the National Business Initiative on a least-cost pathway is under way. This action plan for mining will include the central pillars of an increasing share of investment in renewable energy sources (green hydrogen, solar, wind, battery storage), research, development and innovation into new technologies, the ongoing adoption of 4IR technologies and modern mining methods, critical skills development, engaging the supplier base for collaborative programmes of GHG reductions and a realistic people-centred just energy transition.

THUNGELA RECEIVES

TOP HONOURS AT THE COALSAFE AWARDS Newly listed Thungela Resources, one of the largest pure-play producers and exporters of thermal coal in South Africa, recently received recognition at the annual COALSAFE Awards.

In the 2020 Environmental Management category, Thungela took first and second place honours for the Isibonelo Colliery Wetland Rehabilitation project and Zibulo Colliery Gumboots Recycling project, respectively.

The Sikhululiwe Clinic at the Mafube Colliery, a joint venture between Thungela and Exxaro, was the winner of the 2019 Community Development category. Other highlights for Thungela from the COALSAFE Awards include recognition for more than 10 000 fatality-free shifts at both Isibonelo Colliery and Mafube Colliery in both years, and third place in the 2019 Environmental Management category for an irrigation project in the Steve Tshwete Municipality.

Hosted by the South African Colliery Manager’s Association, the COALSAFE Awards recognise the efforts of the coal mining industry to uphold safety standards. The awards have been in existence for more than 40 years.

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SA MINING

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

De Beers Group MD Nompumelelo (Mpumi) Zikalala is set to take up the position of CEO of Anglo American’s Kumba Iron Ore business in the new year. The process to identify Zikalala’s successor of De Beers Group Managed Operations MD is under way, the company says.

Regarding the new role, Zikalala says: “Taking on the role of CEO for Kumba will be a great natural progression for me within Anglo American, giving me the opportunity to apply my skills in a different business, while continuing to work with many of the stakeholders with whom I have built valued relationships over the years.”

DRDGOLD’S ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGER WINS NACA AWARD

Gold miner DRDGOLD’s environmental manager Louis Kleynhans was recently awarded a Golden Award for Lifetime Contributions to the Cause for Clean Air from the Council of the National Association for Clean Air (NACA).

He received the NACA award in recognition of his leadership role in addressing dust challenges at DRDGOLD’s active mine tailings reclamation sites, cleared sites and tailings storage facilities (TSFs).

He has led the development of cost-effective procedures for the establishment and maintenance of indigenous vegetation on active reclamation sites, cleared sites and TSFs to reduce dust and improve air quality for surrounding communities.

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IN BRIEF

MINERALS COUNCIL PUBLISHES FACTS AND FIGURES BOOK The Minerals Council South Africa recently published its annual collection of industry information in the Facts and Figures 2020 Book. The mining industry in 2020: ■ Contributed R371.9-billion.

■ Employed 452 866 people.

■ Paid R34.7bn in value-added taxes and R11.8bn in royalties.

■ Exported R450.6bn worth of minerals.

Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter says: “The negative impact on mining was lighter than that compared to many other parts of the economy due to the excellent cooperation and collaboration between the industry and government in getting the sector safely back to work as quickly as possible.

“Many mining companies recorded increased revenues and profits, thanks to higher commodity prices and a weaker rand.”

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ESKOM, EXXARO AND SERITI RESOURCES EYE LOW-CARBON FUTURE

8

SA MINING

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

Sibanye-Stillwater has announced its intention to acquire the Santa Rita nickel mine and the Serrote copper mine in Brazil for $1-billion.

Neal Froneman, CEO of SibanyeStillwater, says: “The transaction represents a unique opportunity for Sibanye-Stillwater to acquire significantly pre-developed and pre-capitalised lowcost producing nickel and copper assets with strong ESG credentials, which will continue to be managed by a highquality team with a wealth of operating experience in Brazil.”

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© Freddy Mavunda @ Financial Mail

Power producer Eskom and coal miners Exxaro and Seriti Resources have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that spells out their intention to pursue the development of renewable energy projects to lower their carbon footprint at their operations.

Exxaro and Seriti are the largest coal suppliers to Eskom, contributing around 80% of Eskom’s coal supply per year. By implementing renewable energy solutions at their Eskomtied operations and at related Eskom sites, Seriti and Exxaro aim to achieve both carbon reduction and cost savings in the generation and use of electricity at these mines.

The first phase of the envisaged project pipeline will see the construction of a number of solar photovoltaic facilities both on-mine and at Eskom sites. Under the MOU, Seriti envisages achieving a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 350 000 tonnes per annum, around half of its current emissions of 700 000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent through the consumption of coal-fired electricity generation.

Exxaro envisages achieving a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 130 000 tonnes per annum at its Matla coal mine, which represents a saving of 70% of the greenhouse gases with Matla at full production.

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DIAMONDS

AN APPETITE © ISTOCK – RHJ

FOR THE SPARKLING

By Nelendhre Moodley

The initial recovery last year was driven by the Chinese market, which makes sense as it was the first market to reopen following the global lockdowns related to the pandemic. In 2021, the United States in particular has been very strong. For example Signet Jewelers, the largest jewellery conglomerate in the US, has raised full-year revenue guidance three times in just six months – I’ve never seen anything like that before. The company is now guiding 2021 sales to exceed 2019 sales by 12%, which is the pre-pandemic proxy.

This trend is very important for the industry as the US still accounts for half of global diamond jewellery demand. In general, the diamond market is currently being helped by generous government stimulus globally as well as market share gain from more “experiential” luxury, as people are not spending as much discretionary money on travel, dining out and other types of vacations during the pandemic.

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SA MINING

© Paul Zimnisky

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY TRENDS THAT ARE INFLUENCING THE DIAMOND’S VALUE CHAIN, AND WHAT ARE THE DRIVING FORCES?

“

An empty Kay Jewelers store in the US during the pandemic.

Diamond prices are up almost 20% since the start of the pandemic.

– Zimnisky

“

S

A Mining recently caught up with New York-based diamond industry analyst Paul Zimnisky to find out about the driving forces influencing the diamond value chain. Surprisingly, the diamond market is performing way better than many people would have thought.

Longer term, China continues to be the industry’s fastest-growing large market driven by a rapidly growing middle and upper-middle class, which has a penchant for luxury. I think over the next decade, China and India combined could outpace the US as the industry’s largest end-consumer market.

HOW IS THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 AFFECTING THE DIAMOND VALUE CHAIN?

There have been some disruptions to the supply chain. Some mines were put on care and maintenance last year, and there were temporary labour shortages at manufacturing facilities in India. And of course retailers were forced to close.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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But the greatest impact from the pandemic has been on the demand side.

Unfortunately, I see the biggest economic takeaway from the pandemic being even greater wealth separation as global monetary policies and fiscal stimulus are driving asset prices higher. So those who own assets are doing quite well, and that tends to be the diamond- and jewellery- and luxuryconsuming demographic.

So, from my vantage point, looking at the diamond industry in totality, the boost in demand has by far offset supply chain disruptions over the last 18 months or so, and this is reflected in diamond prices.

According to my proprietary rough diamond price index, the Zimnisky Global Rough Diamond Price Index, prices are up almost 20% since the start of the pandemic.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE DEMAND AND SUPPLY FUNDAMENTALS FOR 2020/21?

Based on my analysis, the diamond industry has been dealing with an oversupplied market since upstream production hit a multi-year high in 2017 and as the midstream segment de-levered inventory in 2018 and 2019.

However, year-over-year upstream production declined in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and production is forecast to remain well off the 2017 high-water mark through at least 2025.

Last year I estimated that global diamond production was 117 million carats, which was the lowest output since the 1990s. This compares to over 150 million carats in 2017.

On the demand side, after growing at a low

HAVE THERE BEEN ANY NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SECTOR, E.G. NEW TECHNOLOGIES?

The diamond industry has a reputation for being slow to innovate, but in reality there is quite a lot of innovation happening right now throughout the supply chain. From more sustainable mining methods and technology, to digital diamond sales solutions, to automated manufacturing and grading, to diamond tracking initiatives, to innovation at retail, there is a lot happening in the industry.

I think the industry is progressing faster than ever before on these fronts.

Nupen Staude de Vries

“

A Chow Tai Fook store in a mall in Hong Kong before the pandemic.

© Paul Zimnisky

to mid single-digit percentage in the years prior to the pandemic, global diamond jewellery demand took a material hit in 2020, falling as much as 15% to 20%, but has since rebounded strongly.

“

© Paul Zimnisky

Rough diamonds sorted at a manufacturer’s office in Antwerp, Belgium.

Africa accounts for well over half of global diamond production. – Zimnisky And then there is the advancement in lab-created diamond production technology, although I think the longer-term impact there will be greater in industrial and technological applications than in jewellery.

WHAT’S THE DIAMOND PRODUCTION STATUS FROM AFRICA?

On a continental basis, Africa continues to be the most important diamond producer,

accounting for well over half of global production. Globally there is only one new major diamond mine currently in development, and it’s in Angola, the Luaxe mine.

De Beers has plans to move forward with expansion projects at the company’s Jwaneng and Orapa mines in Botswana. Both are multibillion-dollar expenditures that will extend the life of the company’s two most valuable assets through to the 2030s. ■

DIAMONDS

SORTING SOLUTIONS TOMRA launches new products

By Nelendhre Moodley

“

Letšeng Diamond mine.

Gem Diamonds recently purchased the ground-breaking Final Recovery solution for the Letšeng mine.

– De Jager

“

S

ensor-based sorting company TOMRA Mining remains focused on developing new products for the diamond industry. SA Mining recently caught up with area sales manager for diamonds at TOMRA Mining, Corné de Jager, to chat about some of the latest product innovations and how these are helping miners.

HOW ARE KEY GLOBAL TRENDS INFLUENCING THE DIAMOND SECTOR, AND HOW ARE THESE, IN TURN, INFLUENCING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS AT TOMRA?

Global trends and recent travel restrictions have fast-tracked the need for a connection between remote collaboration and online data monitoring. TOMRA Insight is a cloudbased solution that offers customers a single secure, near real-time monitoring platform for all their sorting lines.

With a web-based interface for desktop and mobile devices, customers can access digital metrics on the status and performance of their sorters, whenever and wherever they want. The connection between sorting lines and our cloud system enables a more proactive collaboration between the customer’s staff and

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SA MINING

management, and TOMRA’s team of service experts.

TOMRA also introduced TOMRA ACT, the groundbreaking new user interface, together with a new image processing pipeline and additional process data for TOMRA Insight, enabling improvements in the overall sorting process for greater productivity and profitability.

The new enhanced Image Processing Pipeline, and additional data fed to TOMRA Insight, are now introduced on TOMRA XRT sorters and will be extended to other products.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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WHAT ARE SOME OF THE LATEST PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS FROM TOMRA, AND WILL THE COMPANY BE LAUNCHING ANY NEW PRODUCTS IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS?

The TOMRA Insight service has been very successful in the food, recycling and mining divisions. Useful features (for example, data monitoring on belt occupancy and ejected particle size distribution) are already available, but further product developments are in the pipeline that add and improve features more specific to the diamond > industry.

XRT DiamonD

RecoveRy Technology TOMRA XRT TechnOlOgy deliveRs A hAnd sORTAble pROducT AfTeR Only TwO sTAges: cOncenTRATiOn And finAl RecOveRy. This simplifies the process removing up to 7 diamond concentration stages resulting in significant financial and environmental benefits: drastic reductions in capital investment and operational costs, as well as significantly lower power and water consumption.

DIAMONDS Letšeng Diamond mine.

WHAT IS THE APPETITE FOR INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY FROM PROJECTS LOCATED IN AFRICA?

Various customers have shown interest in the TOMRA ACT and TOMRA Insight upgrade packages to update previous models of its XRT sorters. TOMRA is excited to satisfy the market pull activity and help customers benefit their businesses by improving the productivity of their sorting plants and the profitability of their mining operations.

HAVE ANY OF THE MINING COMPANIES OPERATING IN AFRICA RECENTLY ACQUIRED ANY OF TOMRA’S LATEST PRODUCTS? IF SO, WHAT ARE THEY BEING USED FOR, AND WHAT IS THE SUCCESS RATE?

The TOMRA COM XRT 300/FR sorter completes TOMRA’s partnered diamond recovery ecosystem, which is unique in the market for offering a full recovery service from 2mm to 100mm, coupled with all the benefits of TOMRA Insight cloud computing.

This sorter is the last piece in our recovery process, covering the Final Recovery and Sort House applications to produce an ultra-high diamond by weight concentrate.

It reduces hand sorting requirements and lowers security risks. It offers 100% diamond detection within the specified size fractions within 2 to 32mm and > 99% diamond recovery, guaranteed.

The TOMRA COM XRT 300/FR is the first final recovery sorter to accurately sort

“

diamonds based on their properties and not their proxies, achieving market leading recovery with the highest recovery factor to date.

Having already successfully introduced TOMRA’s XRT technology at its Letšeng mine, Gem Diamonds purchased this groundbreaking Final Recovery solution before it was even launched. The Letšeng mine is home to the first unit to be installed in the world.

Jaco Houman, senior manager: technical and projects at Gem Diamond Technical Services, explains this decision: “We wanted to find a solution to increase our revenue from the treatment of historic material.

Global trends and recent travel restrictions have fast-tracked the need for a connection between remote collaboration and online data monitoring. – De Jager

“

Letseng Diamond mine.

“We were looking for a compact machine we could use as a final recovery sorter, and the TOMRA COM XRT 300/FR performs very well in that duty, or even as a single particle sorter. Also, it is a sorter that will treat a super-concentrate and work very well as a scavenging unit.”

The final recovery sorter at Letšeng was successfully commissioned for a lower capacity and performs well. Houman says: “We are getting consistent recovery from the TOMRA COM XRT 300/FR, which is performing to our expectations from this perspective.”

Ryan Szabo, sales and project manager: diamonds at TOMRA Mining, is also pleased with the performance of the first unit installed. “The final recovery sorter has functioned exceptionally well. To date the sorter has never failed a performance test at the Letšeng Diamond Mine. It has already had successful results in the commissioning stage. In fact, it’s the most successful first implementation of a new solution that TOMRA has ever had.”

Following upstream process changes, the sorter is in the next commissioning phase to be fed at higher throughput rate, and Houman is “confident that we will be able to demonstrate performance of the final recovery sorter at the higher capacities”. ■

Sorter optimisation is tailored to customers’ needs.

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SA MINING

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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local communities and diamond origin.

These trends are being led by the younger generations, with 30% of millennials having bought jewellery with sustainability credentials as part of its branding, compared with only 8% of baby boomers.

The study also found that sustainabilityconscious consumers were prepared to pay a premium for natural diamonds that provide evidence of sustainability credentials, with 56% of consumers who were willing to pay more for natural diamond brands

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Sustainability considerations are influencing consumer purchase decisions.

– Diamond Insight Report

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that could demonstrate they operate in an environmentally and socially responsible way.

Nearly 17% of these consumers were open to paying 25% or more for a sustainable natural diamond.

Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group, said: “With sustainability being one of the key mega trends across all consumer sectors, this year’s Diamond Insight Report explores how sustainability factors are influencing consumer attitudes towards diamonds.

“As is clear from this research, a tipping point has been reached – sustainability is no longer a trend that’s coming over the horizon; it’s already one of the key considerations in diamond purchases.”

De Beers Group’s analysis found that consumer demand for diamonds in the first half of 2021 grew 40% year on year or about 15% to 20% on an annualised basis compared with 2019. ■

© ISTOCK – Nikolay Amoseev

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ustainability considerations rank on par with price and design for global consumers when purchasing diamonds. This is according to new research published in De Beers’s eighth annual Diamond Insight Report – Sustainability: Shaping the Future of the Diamond Sector.

Based on a global study of more than 8 400 people across seven key consumer markets for diamonds, the report found that sustainability considerations were influencing consumer purchase decisions across all sectors. Sixty percent of consumers and more than 80% of opinion leaders chose to buy a product made in a more environmentally or socially responsible way over any other product.

The study also found that fine jewellery ranked third, after only food and clothing, as the category most frequently purchased on the basis of sustainability considerations, with one in five consumers globally having bought jewellery because of its sustainability credentials in recent years.

When it came to diamond jewellery, the study found that sustainability considerations were a key factor for consumers in all markets. Sustainability was ranked by 30% of consumers as their most important consideration – above price and design – when choosing a diamond.

The top five sustainability considerations for diamond consumers in the study were protection of the environment, fair worker treatment, conflict-free sourcing, supporting

© ISTOCK – da_cipher

SUSTAINABILITY

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DIAMONDS

PARTNERS WITH NUNGU DIAMONDS

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Pluczenik and Nungu Diamonds partner.

The time is right for us to have a new cutting and polishing factory to help SA meet its beneficiation objectives. – Pluczenik more than 70 years. One that has also been at the forefront of innovation and leadership.

This partnership is a positive story about diamonds, where black people are not just bystanders but are active parties in the diamond trade from mine to market.”

If you want to operate at the highest level in this trade, he says, you will ideally need to partner with companies that have “the pedigree, the history and the balance sheet to help you grow and be impactful – that’s incredibly exciting”.

Speaking at the media event, Pluczenik

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lobal diamond and jewellery company Pluczenik recently partnered with Kealeboga Pule, a local black entrepreneur and founder of Nungu Diamonds.

Pluczenik was founded in South Africa in 1948 by Isaac Pluczenik, who bought his first sight from De Beers, before moving to Antwerp, Belgium, where he built a successful diamond business.

The company has returned to its roots through its partnership with Nungu Diamonds, a 100% black-owned jewellerymaking company. Through the partnership, Pluczenik launched its South African factory – Pluczenik SA in Bedfordview, east of Johannesburg – to be headed by Pule. This is a commitment to invest in South Africa’s economy, thus creating job opportunities, skills development, and bringing new technology to downstream diamond beneficiation.

Commenting on the partnership, Pule said: “This historic and full circle announcement is not only a reflection of Pluczenik’s pledge of ploughing back where it all began, but a commitment to increased job creation after the industry was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is also definitely an exciting opportunity – one that is a dream come true for any young person in the diamond industry. I have the opportunity to work with a world-class business that has operated for

CEO Chaim Pluczenik said: “Our heart has always been in South Africa where my family established the company over 70 years ago.

The time is now right for us to have a new cutting and polishing factory in the country to help it meet its beneficiation objectives and support communities in a country where diamonds have a long history and heritage.

“Pluczenik is consistently one of the largest buyers of ‘rough’ in the diamond industry and has been a global De Beers sight holder for more than 60 years. The company also has sights in Botswana and Namibia.” ■

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TRAINING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT COVER STORY

FUTURE-READY Canyon Coal upskills

By Nelendhre Moodley

C

UPSKILLING FOR INDUSTRY 4.0

As the mining industry drives modernisation and innovation and advances technology uptake, so too must employees evolve to adapt to the changing needs. Upskilling and training the workforce is imperative as companies adopt new ways of operation, Precious Manjeni, vacation work trainee at Khanye Colliery.

Lebogang Mokau attends ADT training at Khanye Colliery.

which include elements of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and big data, among others.

According to Mueti, Menar is always evaluating how to integrate the latest technologies into its operations and looking at how best to ensure that the company has sufficiently skilled people to make the best use of these technologies.

The mechanisation of mining is resulting in greater technical knowledge to build, maintain and repair mining machinery and equipment. The depletion of resources means precision mining skills will also become key to the success of mining operations. “Yet there is a shortage of well-

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Canyon Coal’s training programmes have resulted in all-around operational improvements.

– Mueti

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anyon Coal has spent over R16-million on skills development over the past five years. This year alone, despite the onset of the pandemic, the company has injected over R3.6m into upskilling its workforce and the communities surrounding its operations.

Its training programmes have resulted in all-around operational improvements ranging from productivity improvements to better health, safety and environmental standards.

Nthabiseng Ocia Mueti, group social labour plan manager at Menar, the private investment company that houses Canyon, says continuous skills development is an inherent part of the company’s strategy.

“We believe that for the mining industry to progress and modernise, it needs to employ more workers who have higher qualifications and enhanced skills to enable the sector to operate more safely and efficiently,” says Mueti.

trained and experienced artisans to service the growing number of trackless mining machinery (TMM) that is found in modern mines,” says Mueti.

Moreover, existing TMM operators continuously need to be trained and kept abreast of new trends and the latest technological innovations that are being applied to these new advanced technologies in order to correctly operate their machines and limit downtime. Mechanised training programmes provide artisans with specific skills in mechanised engineering that are not part of the traditional training syllabus.

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“Sadly though, many graduates remain unemployed after completing their studies, even though they attended respected accredited training centres. This is because in many instances the curriculum did not match the needs of prospective employers, because the training did not include training on the latest technologies being used in the mining industry.

“Overhaul and updating of training programmes are needed as a matter of urgency to address this situation.

Modern training needs to include blended methodologies including e-learning, virtual reality, simulation and workshop practical hands-on training to allow trainees to receive comprehensive modern training that is relevant to an increasingly tech-savvy sector.”

UPSKILLING THE COMMUNITY

Upskilling the community at all its operations is important to Menar, and according to Xolile Mankayi, group social licensing manager, skills development and training increases community members’ opportunities of securing a job within the mining sector.

“Menar is committed to offering training courses to community members ranging from basic to advanced levels, in order to build up a comprehensive mining skills database of accredited and trusted people who have received the proper training.

To this end we offer a range of training programmes such as articulated dump truck, front end loader, tractor loader backhoe, excavator training, among others, as well as vacation work to our bursary and nonbursary holders,” he adds.

To address the mining skills shortage in the Bronkhorstspruit area where Canyon

CANYON COAL’S OPERATIONS Canyon Coal’s mines comprise Khanye Colliery in Bronkhorstspruit and Ukufisa Colliery in Springs, Gauteng; and Phalanndwa Colliery and Phalanndwa Extension in Delmas, and Hakhano Colliery in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.

Jabulani Jiyane, a blaster at Khanye Colliery.

Zwivhuya Phatela, an intern at Khanye Colliery.

Coal’s Khanye Colliery is located, Canyon Coal embarked on an upskilling programme for locals, which included training 20 community members on mobile machinery for surface mining, Hazchem firefighting and first aid training over a 30-day programme.

The company also runs regular adult basic education training (ABET) programmes at its mines.

Between 2018 and 2019, nine groups of 15 people were trained from Level 1 to Level 4 (NQF 1) in numeracy and literacy at the Phalanndwa Colliery ABET Centre in Mpumalanga. Since its establishment in 2015, over 60 people have been upskilled through ABET programmes run at the mine.

This year the company is embarking on an operator skills programme to re-skill qualifying members of its host communities in Phalanndwa.

YOUTH AND WOMEN DEVELOPMENT

Aside from actively recruiting female mineworkers, machine operators and engineers, among others, Menar strongly supports female equipment and service providers throughout and is especially focused on the empowerment of women in local communities.

“Increased recruitment of women in mining is good for enhancing the sector’s

Community members receive ADT training at Khanye Colliery.

diversity. Diversity means strength for the sector. It’s good for operational sustainability and improved overall performance as diverse teams make better decisions.

“At Canyon Coal (as of the end of September 2021), we had 76 female employees accounting for 26% of our workforce, with 29 in core mining positions and 21 in mining support services positions.

Canyon Coal prioritises key and core career opportunities in mining for females, such as operators of articulated dump trucks, excavators, dozers and graders, among others,” says Mankayi.

He says the company has numerous examples of success stories of individuals who started off as bursary recipients and now are department heads in the company.

“For instance, at just 29 years old Nthabiseng Mueti was appointed SLP manager on 1 October 2020. She was able to attain both a Diploma in Mining Engineering and a Blasting Certificate through the help of the bursary and internship she received from Canyon Coal.”

TRAINING SUCCESS STORIES

Examples of training success stories at Menar include, among others, Jabulani Jiyane who started as a cleaner at Canyon Coal’s Phalanndwa Colliery in Delmas. He

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advanced his career through Canyon Coal’s skills development initiatives, undertaking a number of the training programmes, and subsequently climbed the ranks at the company. Most recently he was promoted to the position of blaster at Khanye Colliery in Bronkhorstspruit.

“I am very appreciative of everything that Canyon Coal has done for me. I hope to continue to grow and learn new things and be part of Canyon Coal’s story of growth and development for many years to come,” says Jiyane.

Another success story is that of Zwivhuya Phathela, 30, a mechanical engineering intern at Khanye Colliery who says, “as part of attaining a Government Certificate of Competency (GCC) to become a certified engineer, one needs to be exposed to both the electrical and mechanical aspects of engineering”. Therefore she has received training on electrical aspects of the mine, such as how to connect the wires in the plant, and service motors and lights.

“Phathela is currently being mentored by Khanye Colliery engineering foreman Brian Gwaze, and is exposed to heavy earthmoving machinery and the importance of adhering to the Mine Health and Safety Act,” says Mankayi. ■

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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TRAINING AND

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

EQUIPPING THE WORKFORCE FOR A DIGITAL FUTURE

By Sietse van der Woude, senior executive of modernisation, and Mustak Ally, head of skills development, Minerals Council South Africa

SA MINING

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Training taking place at Harmony Gold.

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© ISTOCK – Chaiyaporn1144

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outh Africa’s mining industry is acutely aware of its responsibility to bring people – employees and communities – along with it as it navigates the changes and challenges presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

The industry knows that it must be part of this tech-driven revolution if it is to remain globally competitive from an economic, safety and health perspective. Huge strides have been taken in the past few years to accelerate the adoption of technology in mining. But as mines become more automated, skills gaps are growing evident in the 450 000-strong workforce. To close this gap, mining companies have had to consider ways to skill, upskill or reskill employees.

Anticipating this, the Minerals Council’s modernisation programmes include Mining Skills 4.0, which is a multi-year programme aimed at developing a reskilling and upskilling framework and strategy to assist mining companies in achieving a just transition of their workforce into the 4IR. The 2020 phase of this programme involved an in-depth analysis and articulation of the current skill and aptitude sets available within the mining industry.

With a focus on rock drill operators as a pilot occupation, the analysis also considered the skills that would be required in the mining industry and associated industries in future.

This year, with the focus on health, safety and productivity, a technology scouting report on innovative Education Technology (EdTech) solutions with high potential for positive impact in mining was completed.

This report showed that the application of 4IR technologies and immersive education and training can speed up capacity development while improving health and safety outcomes in high-risk industries like mining.

The advantage of 4IR technologies is that it creates new, better-paid, safer, healthier, and more fulfilling jobs. – Van der Woude Recently Minerals Council and Harmony Gold partnered with innovation firm RIIS to run an open innovation showcase aimed at identifying high-potential educational innovations and cutting-edge technologies that could be used for skills training and Zero Harm production in the South African mining industry.

Looking for ready-to-implement training innovations, a call for proposals resulted in six short-listed innovations being showcased at a hybrid event on 30 September and 1 October 2021. While only one winner was named, the end goal of the showcase was achieved in that it enabled collaboration between mining companies and EdTech suppliers, boosted cross-industry cooperation and empowered entrepreneurs

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so that they had an opportunity to gain access to the market and demo their solutions directly to potential clients.

While zero harm remains the focus, many Minerals Council members view the introduction of new technologies in their training delivery and value chain as critical for increasing the effectiveness and costefficiency of their training, and for enabling digital literacy development in an organic manner among the workforce. What we have found is that companies are adapting training and the inclusion of tech-driven training in ways unique to their operating contexts.

At Glencore’s Thorncliffe chrome mine, trainees undergo training in classrooms in the underground training centre before

Training taking place at Anglo American Platinum.

progressing to practical training in the two 360° simulators.

Thorncliffe has established a first-ofits-kind virtual reality (VR) training wall some 400m below surface for trainees to experience the real mine environment while simulating rock identification, blasting, timing and consequences, gases and ventilation. The VR immersion provides theoretical knowledge as the trainee proceeds with simulated tasks before they go into a real-world working environment.

VR is also used at South Deep where three QCTO (Quality Council for Trades & Occupations) curricula components have been adapted to be taught almost entirely in the VR system. Once individuals display competence in the VR courses, they progress to a surface mock-mine environment where their skills are honed before they get introduced to the real work environment.

Tech-driven training success stories are

Training taking place at Sibanye-Stillwater.

not limited to immersive learning though.

Gamified and mobile micro-learning has already been used in other industries and has the potential to be adapted for mining applications that reinforce safety and behavioural change.

A soccer-themed mobile game designed around gamification principles is used at Takealot to onboard and continuously train delivery drivers and PepsiCo is leveraging existing popular games like Minecraft for Lean Six Sigma Training in distribution plants.

The extension of learning well beyond the traditional flipcharts and training videos means most aspects of actual mining can be taught and applied in low-risk environments.

These same training techniques can be used to reinforce safety and health messages and help encourage behavioural change once trainees graduate to the workforce.

The advantage of 4IR technologies applied in a people-centric manner is that it creates new, better-paid, safer, healthier, and more fulfilling jobs. These advancements will create a more skilled workforce as we strive to make mines safe and healthy places to work. In South Africa, our modernisation strategies need to be about turning 4IR technologies into allies which help people, rather than be perceived as a threat to replace them. It is only through a combination of people and technology that we can reimagine mining. ■

www.samining.co.za

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The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect SA Mining’s editorial policy.

An operator at South Deep mine undergoes training.

TRAINING AND

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

DRIVE TO

MODERNISE

Harmony looks to new training technologies

By Nelendhre Moodley

24

SA MINING

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he mining industry’s drive to meet its zero-harm target is bearing fruit, with the fatality rate having dropped from over 200 deaths a few years ago to below 65 per annum. Gold miner Harmony Gold recently made a game-changing move when it collaborated with the Minerals Council South Africa (MCSA) and the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS) to identify an innovative training partner.

Using an open-source system, RIIS ran a competition to identify a training provider that trains using the latest technology, including virtual reality and augmented reality, among others. The new technology solutions are aimed at improving the effectiveness of training delivery to Harmony employees.

Following the call for proposals, many service providers made submissions, with the top six finalists presenting their edtech solutions on 1 October to a panel consisting of the MCSA, RIIS and Harmony.

SA Mining caught up with Mark Haywood, manager of learning and development at Harmony Gold and the person tasked with championing this initiative in Harmony, to chat about the company’s drive to adopt such a game-changing move.

According to Haywood, Harmony has multiple and diverse generations in its workforce of around 45 000 employees,

Mark Haywood.

Bite-sized learning is now the preferred method of skills development”. – Haywood including contractors, and was “very cognisant of the fact that there are preferred learning styles for each generation”.

Further to this is the understanding that the old-school way of training “just doesn’t cut it any more”.

While there are a number of challenges associated with the traditional ways of training and upskilling the workforce, Haywood points to two that stand out – the generational gap with its preferred learning styles, and the literacy level of Harmony’s employees.

“Long gone are the days when a person could sit in a classroom and pay attention to an instructor using old-school facilitation methods of presenting using PowerPoint slides. It has been proven that the attention span of the younger generation has decreased and bite-sized learning is now the preferred method of skills development.

“Furthermore, the literacy levels of

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some employees remain a challenge, as approximately 23% of our employees are below functionally literate levels. This creates additional challenges when it comes to learning delivery. Moreover, the new modern workplace has placed greater pressure for training to shift away from the traditional methods to online, technologydriven and in-time learning.

“I believe there are only advantages that can come out of this drive to modernise our training. Not only will the adoption of new, modern ways of training reduce time in training, it will also drastically improve learning retention in the long run. This will naturally have a safety spin-off.”

INNOVATION LEADS THE WAY

For the mining industry, which has long been considered slow to modernise, Harmony Gold’s radical move to take training and skills development into the digital arena will see it

HARMONY GOLD

■

■ ■ make a massive step change that will surely lead the way for the rest of the mining industry.

The top six finalists were sts3D, Jumploom (Virtutec), bizAR Reality, The Boiler Room, Edutouch and WinWin International.

Flagging some of the standout ideas that have come to the fore from the contestants, Haywood says he was blown away by how, through the use of immersive technology, or virtual reality, it was possible to put a learner into any environment and simulate any scenario to see how the learner would react.

“The technology is such that reports can be generated to actually pinpoint how long a person was looking at a specific item in an environment before moving on. Or how long a person stood motionless before jumping into action when an incident occurs. The opportunities this level of data collection brings to the fore are endless. The saying ‘If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it’ immediately comes to mind.”

PARTNERING TO DRIVE TRAINING INNOVATION

“Harmony has identified the need to reposition our training to focus on delivery methods as well as content. We had just started on this journey when the opportunity presented itself to partner with the MCSA and RIIS. The timing couldn’t have been better for us.”

That said, I really believe that this will lead to a greater partnering across industry so that we can learn from, and with, one another to achieve the same goal. We look forward to piloting some of the innovations that came out of the showcase. With a properly engaged and safety-conscious workforce, we will be a step closer towards the goal of zero harm in the industry,” says Haywood. ■

■

South African gold miner Harmony has transformed from a single-lease mining entity to one of the foremost gold mining companies in the world.

It remains focused on empowering employees and investing in their skills training and development.

In FY20, the company helped 31 533 employees complete training and supported 84 bursaries at tertiary level, among others.

Harmony’s total economic value distributed to its stakeholders in FY20, which includes financial and economic value distributed to its employee, investor, supplier, community and government, was R26.4-billion.

TRAINING AND

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

TRAINING REVOLUTION UNDER WAY

The amount of data that we generate daily is mind-boggling. However, the amount of use of that data is in single percentage figures.

Let’s consider for instance the individual who is going through continuous training.

This learner is creating heaps of data. The beauty is that with fairly simple machine learning we can establish patterns in the learner’s answers, the amount of time he

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SA MINING

90% 80% 80% 60%

70% 60%

40%

50%

20%

*The Forgetting Curve

or she has taken to answer and an overall picture of their improvement.

This gives us the ability to customise the training on an individual basis, identifying key areas of weakness and strength and then curating the training to improve on the areas where the individual is challenged.

We can also use data generated by thousands of learners to better identify problems or gaps in our training where multiple users stumble. This allows one to identify whether there is an issue in the course material or whether it’s an area that needs to be highlighted in terms of training.

GAMIFICATION

Gamification has been making waves as one of the emerging trends in learning and development for quite some time, but it is expected to gain further traction in 2021.

Leveraging e-learning gamification in a learning and development programme is one of the best moves companies can make to keep up with the new training and development industry trends, especially in a remote work scenario.

Some of the benefits of gamification: ■ Applying gamification to learning programmes boosts learner engagement by 60%. (Source: Gartner) ■ Almost 80% of learners say they would be more productive if their university, institution or work were more game-like.

(Source: Talent LMS) ■ 89% of learners say a point system would increase their engagement with an e-learning application. (Source: Talent LMS) ■ Gamified elements in learning and

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*The Forgetting Curve with repetition in training

development programmes create higher engagement levels in participants.

Because of a higher engagement quotient, a gamification strategy helps achieve higher completion rates and better recall and retention.

Gamification can create a competition level that encourages employees to perform better and contribute more.

Specifically in the mining industry we are seeing most major mining companies working closely with a variety of new technologies to improve their existing training and skills development programmes.

In particular virtual reality (VR) is playing a large part of that strategy as it incorporates all the trends listed above, and harnesses the power of 3D and virtual to practically train employees. The benefits of VR include: ■ VR training can make a great impact in a short period.

■ Information is easier to absorb, retain and recall. Dangerous environments can be simulated for training without the risk.

■ Learners can repeatedly learn from their mistakes to arrive at the right method.

The easiest adoption of VR in the mining industry has been one of replacing the heavy cost of simulators with headsets. This allows for a much cheaper investment in hardware and better return on investment. This also allows for multiple trainees to be trained simultaneously as opposed to one at a time.

What we have found is that more mining companies are now seeing the value of training in virtual reality and are using it to not only train their employees in mechanical mining, but also in conventional mining. ■

The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect SA Mining’s editorial policy.

BIG DATA AND DATA-DRIVEN LEARNING

revenue officer at Virtutec

100%

100%

Retention

T

raining is undergoing a revolution.

With the advent of elements such as COVID-19, as well as needing to keep a competitive advantage, companies are realising that they have to move into the 21st century, and use the technology that is available to improve their existing training and skills development programmes.

Training in the 21st century is datadriven. It uses machine learning and artificial intelligence, uses hardware like virtual and augmented reality headsets, and makes knowledge available in scalable ways with the use of cellphones.

These things allow for us to create a blended experience where one can take what has worked in the past and improve on it, as well as create new and different ways to teach existing content.

There are some very important trends that are emerging in the training and skills development industry, including: ■ Continuous learning as opposed to onceoff training It has been shown across multiple studies that learners forget over 90% of the information they have been taught within seven days of training. This is called the Forgetting Curve.

Technology helps a lot to counter this curve with continuous learning and testing.

Consider an individual who has been trained once but then needs to access a company mobile app that makes it mandatory for them to complete the training again on a monthly or fortnightly basis.

This content can also be revised and improved on and specially curated and targeted to the specific needs of that particular learner. This learning can be done anytime and anywhere as the learner would have access on their phone.

By Denis Vaden: chief

If its not INVAL, it’s not Invincible

TRAINING AND

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

SKILLS SHORTAGE IN WORK-AT-HEIGHT APPLICATIONS SGB-CAPE The group provides services in the areas of formwork, shoring and scaffolding, insulation, painting and blasting, hydraulic and suspended access platforms, relocatable modular buildings, portable sanitation products and integrated hygiene services. © ISTOCK

SGB-Cape Rope Access, a division of Waco Africa, says there’s a significant shortage of skills in the “work at height” industry in South Africa.

According to Cobus Joubert, manager at SGB-Cape Rope Access, South Africa has a multitude of industries that use rope access technicians, including the construction, power, oil and gas, banner signage, industrial maintenance and telecommunications industries.

“However, we find that we have a serious lack of skilled and qualified technicians and encourage adventurous souls to actively pursue it as a career. To become a rope access technician is not as daunting as most people think, and the first entry-level qualification is aimed at individuals with little or zero previous experience.”

As a specialist field of work, rope access offers significant advantages over traditional access methods such as scaffolding and mobile elevated working platforms. Apart from the ease of access to hard-to-reach locations, using rope access offers an affordable alternative to other methods, such as building scaffolding, and can be

set up quickly, efficiently and with minimal disruption.

IRATA TRAINING

SGB-Cape Offshore is an accredited provider of IRATA (Industrial Rope Access Trade Association) industrial rope access training courses. IRATA is recognised as an authority on industrial rope access and directs and regulates the training of all workers seeking an IRATA qualification through its accredited providers.

ENGINEERING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

TARGETING GROWTH UMS strengthens portfolio

By Nelendhre Moodley

HOW HAS COVID-19 IMPACTED MINING PROJECT DEVELOPMENT GLOBALLY AND LOCALLY?

Exploration was impacted by the pandemic through reduced funding, but conversely there was an increased focus on progressing feasibility studies of already proven resources.

The travel restrictions imposed worldwide impeded physical interaction between client stakeholders and project-performing organisations. Like most companies, UMS overcame this by using software that allowed regular interaction between project stakeholders and within project organisations.

What was unexpected was the impact on supply chains and the supply of critical raw materials required to manufacture specialised equipment (e.g. computer chips).

Most commodity prices except for gold and platinum group metals decreased.

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SA MINING

Execution of projects in certain instances was delayed because of uncertainties that the virus would have on absenteeism in project teams, and especially so when projects were performed across borders between countries with different COVID-19 protocols.

Locally, in response to restrictions on travel, and the introduction of social distancing measures, UMS established virtual project teams to perform project work remotely using appropriate software.

“

Part of our drive to grow our business is to bring in a range of multidisciplinary skills.

– Glover

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M

ining engineering and minerals processing services firm UMS Group has been growing its business while navigating the challenges of COVID-19.

SA Mining recently caught up with group executive for project services Dr Pieter Louw and group CEO Digby Glover to chat about the measures being undertaken to grow the business in a tough economic environment.

This allowed projects to move ahead from feasibility study to implementation including completion of engineering designs and drafting to issue for construction level, while working in different time zones with client stakeholders in Canada and North America from South Africa.

During the early phase of the pandemic, mines closed and continued only with care and maintenance of critical infrastructure to

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ensure there was something to return to and continue operations as COVID restrictions eased over time.

Mines must be commended for the way they managed the process, and the lengths they went to to implement social distancing and ensure detection protocols were followed in line with the World Health Organization’s recommendations. Mines that were able to afford it implemented automation of certain underground operations to reduce reliance on people performing work.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE KEY TRENDS IN THE CONSULTING, ENGINEERING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT SPACE OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS?

Numerous projects have been advanced through feasibility and into design. Critical projects have continued to be executed.

Work from home was rapidly implemented and has continued in various forms including more popular hybrid models. This has further extended the ability to work across time zones and deliver to clients across the globe more effectively and efficiently than ever before.

HOW HAVE COMPANIES NAVIGATED THE ASSOCIATED CHALLENGES? UMS identified different ways to manage existing projects, and deliver new projects

“ UMS announced a new, unified branding, bringing together all UMS Group divisions under one umbrella.

– Louw

“

within social distancing protocols without exposing people unduly to the virus.

The opportunities and challenges of working remotely and establishing virtual project teams during COVID restrictions enabled us to anticipate and recognise changes, and quickly adapt to restrictions.

The ability to hold most meetings with stakeholders from around the world on platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom has been incredibly beneficial. The cost, time and environmental impact on travel has been drastically reduced and must be sustained in the future.

HOW HAS UMS ENSURED THAT CLIENTS ARE WELL SERVICED AND PROJECTS DELIVERED DURING THE PANDEMIC?

Using risk-management processes, UMS ensured clients received deliverables, even remotely, and kept moving projects forward.

This included regular internal reviews based on changing client project scope requirements, agreed contract management, and advice on lessons learnt and past experiences by the UMS project teams.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AT UMS?

Earlier this year, UMS announced a new, unified branding, bringing together all UMS Group divisions under one umbrella, including UMS Shaft Sinkers, UMS METS, UMS

Construction, UMS Botswana, UMS Nevada, UMS METS International in the UK, with UMS Brazil launching shortly.

The unified branding showcases our united offering that extends beyond shafts and contracting, to engineering, construction, processing, mining infrastructure and other mining-related services, both locally and internationally.

By bringing together our businesses under one umbrella but also keeping the individual names, we are retaining the heritage while uniting our high-level engineering skills with our contracting skills to offer something very unique to the market.

Part of our drive to grow our business is to bring in a range of multidisciplinary skills. We have continued to curate an incredibly talented team of people, and we are in a position to take on new work with our expanding capabilities. We are very fortunate to have some of the best people in the industry, with exemplary personal track records that will continue to attract business, and are attracting more and more of these people as we grow.

Our strategy is starting to bear fruit, evident in the projects that we have secured.

We have picked up jobs with new clients as well as previous clients, a strong indication of faith in our revitalised brand. We are proud to be working with companies such as Lucara Diamond Corp., Ero Copper Corp., Anglo

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American, Impala, Harmony, South32, and others.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR LATEST SUCCESS STORIES?

Despite the global uncertainty as a result of the pandemic, UMS is growing, and the huge amount of bidding that we are doing reflects the growing demand in the market.

We are steadily growing our pipeline of work within South Africa on the contracting side, while on the EPCM side we are working on a number of very large bids for new mining developments.

In the Free State province we recently delivered a fast, innovative solution for Harmony’s Target 1 gold mine to optimise the shaft’s cooling capability. In the Northern Cape, South32 commissioned UMS to rehabilitate the Wessels mine shaft, which entailed repair of structural steelwork and services to support the mine life.

In Rustenburg, UMS was tasked to seal three large concrete walls for the underground vertical dam that was leaking water at Impala 20 mine.

Further afield, we are gearing up for the pre-sinking of two shafts for the Karowe Underground Mine Expansion Project in Botswana, while in Brazil, we are working on a feasibility study for Ero Copper, and looking to move rapidly into detailed design and execution on-site. n

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ENGINEERING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT SAICE PARTNERS WITH LUKHOZI CONSULTING ENGINEERS “Given the significant under-capacity in the public sector as far as engineering skills are concerned, there is a huge need for qualified and experienced engineers to address service delivery issues at both a municipal and provincial level,” says Tom McKune, head of training at SAICE.

© ISTOCK –

With skills shortage being one of the biggest challenges facing the civil engineering industry, the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) recently partnered with Lukhozi Consulting Engineers in a bid to advance collaboration for skills enhancement.

According to SAICE, the aim of the partnership is to discuss opportunities that can be created from a strategic relationship as a pipeline of experienced young engineers entering the industry is essential if South Africa is to meet its economic goals.

However, simply ensuring that sufficient numbers of engineers graduate each year is not enough, says Greg Tucker, MD of Lukhozi Consulting Engineers. “Not only do they need to find jobs in order to build their experience, but they also need to be supported with training and development, and mentored by more experienced engineers.”

Lukhozi has traditionally invested in bursaries, training and development, and more recently, partnered with SAICE to assist in identifying suitable candidates for bursaries to study engineering. SAICE, through the SAICE Academy, will provide mentoring and training to the bursary candidates and ultimately help them register with the Engineering Council of South Africa.

WEC PROJECTS ENGINEERS SOLUTION FOR DANAKALI WEC Projects, a South African engineering, procurement and construction contractor specialising in engineering solutions for water and wastewater treatment, was awarded a contract for the design of a processing solution to produce both potable and industrial water for the construction crews building Danakali’s Colluli Potash mine in Eritrea.

The $2-million project was awarded to WEC Projects in 2019.

All engineering design and procurement has been completed and the plant is currently being assembled. Delivery will be ready in the last quarter of 2021. Completion of the project is expected by January 2022.

Rick Grundlingh, sales manager at WEC Projects, says: “Solving the water processing challenge for Colluli was a number one priority for Danakali as construction cannot go ahead until a reliable water supply is in place.”

Artist’s impression of the processing plant at the Colluli Potash Mine.

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Danakil depression in Eritrea.

According to WEG Projects, the water processing plant required considerable customisation to meet the challenges of both the customer’s requirements and the environmental demands of the region.

Discussing the specifications of the plant, the company said it was scheduled to produce a total of 24m3 of water per hour, 7.5m3/ hr of which would be for potable use.

“The water, pumped from boreholes, contains extremely high concentrations of dissolved salts and sediment and its temperature sits at around 40°C, making it a challenging project. The pumped water is first fed into a coarse strainer to remove any larger particulates.

“An ultra-filtration system using ceramic filters was chosen for this project. The new technology allows for easier cleaning and descaling of the filters. The ultra-filtered water undergoes the process of reverse osmosis, with about a third of the water undergoing a second reverse osmosis process, to remove boron, making it suitable for human consumption.”

Grundlingh says: “By working closely with Danakali we were able to engineer a solution that met the stringent requirements of a mine that is considered to be one of the most innovative in its class.”

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Engineering solutions for the Global Mining Industry

Mining

Geotechnical

Ventilation

Mechanical

Electrical

Metallurgical

SOUTH AFRICA OFFICE: +27 11 476-7091 Jim Pooley: +27 82 373 0796 / jim@baraconsulting.co.za Clive Brown: +27 82 557 5373 / clive@baraconsulting.co.za www.baraconsulting.co.za Andrew Bamber: Pat Willis:

UNITED KINGDOM OFFICE +44 744 486 4046 / bamber@baraconsulting.co.uk +44 781 018 2169 / patw@baraconsulting.co.uk www.baraconsulting.co.uk

ENGINEERING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

BULK WATER © ISTOCK – piccaya

Afrimat funds Olifantshoek link

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“

The reservoir.

The project will help alleviate the prevailing water issues in Olifantshoek.

– Afrimat

“

pen-pit miner Afrimat’s Demaneng Mine recently committed funds towards the construction of a bulk link line from three boreholes to a seven million litre reservoir. This will help alleviate the prevailing water issues in Olifantshoek, the company says.

The project forms part of Afrimat Demaneng’s local economic development initiatives.

Olifantshoek, situated in the dry Gamagara Local Municipality in the Northern Cape, has limited water resources, with the community greatly dependent on groundwater. The exponential growth in and around Kathu has further exacerbated the water crisis in the area, with taps running dry for weeks on end.

Employees of Afrimat’s Demaneng Mine who reside in Olifantshoek brought the matter to the attention of management.

Demaneng Mine’s management team engaged with the local municipality and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to find sustainable solutions to this issue to not only assist the mine’s employees, but the community as a whole.

In an effort to raise more funds, Demaneng Mine, with the assistance of the DMRE, approached neighbouring businesses to collaborate on the project where Afrimat acted as the project coordinator.

The scope of work consisted of Phase 1 and Phase 2A, with Phase 1 funded by the Gamagara Local Municipality, and entailed the drilling and equipping of six boreholes and construction of pump houses. Phase 2A necessitated the construction of the bulk link line from three boreholes to the seven million litre reservoir.

Selenane and Metsweding Consulting Engineers were respectively appointed as contractor and consulting engineers for Phase 1.

They continued with Phase 2A, with the assistance of Wholetrade Projects as a local sub-contractor from Olifantshoek and BVI Consulting Engineers, as an Afrimatappointed project engineer.

To ensure local labour and small, medium

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and micro enterprises (SMMEs) got the opportunity to work on the project, 17 local people and five local SMMEs, including the subcontractor, were hired for the project.

Phase 1 commenced in February 2021 with completion at the beginning of September, and Phase 2A commenced in early July, with handover to the Gamagara Local Municipality in October. ■

MATERIALS HANDLING

BRELKO ADAPTS Survives and thrives

By Nelendhre Moodley

C

OVID-19 has brought the local manufacturing sector to its knees, with global supply chain disruptions adding a further layer of misery to manufacturers and forcing suppliers to international markets to reconsider their global market growth strategies.

According to a recent paper by PwC titled Impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain industry, the pandemic has severely impacted production as it places restrictions on people and goods through border closures.

“Manufacturers and distributors have found it difficult to replace or replenish their inventory and equipment or machinery, due to supply chain disruptions globally.

Importers and exporters have also found it challenging to deliver or bring in goods across most international borders, as the seaports, which are the main route for international exchange of goods, have been impacted by restrictions and the slowdown of industrial activities of major trading partners,” says PwC. For Gauteng-based Brelko, which exports its spillage control equipment across the globe, the company has had to look for growth locally. Brelko supplies product across the globe, from North and South America, Europe, the Middle-East, Asia and Australia.

“Where the time lag for shipping and receiving products is estimated at between seven and eight weeks, recent supply chain constraints have led to lead times being extended to as many as 20 weeks. Coupled with these delays has been the soaring cost of shipping which adversely impacts the bottom line,” says Brelko’s MD Kenny Padayachee.

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BRELKO TARGETS THE BIG LEAGUE

The spillage control equipment supplier has looked to both the local and African market for growth, targeting large-scale clients such as local power producer Eskom and global mining giant Rio Tinto’s Richards Bay Minerals (RBM).

RBM, a leader in heavy mineral sands extraction and refining, is South Africa’s largest mineral sands producer.

Having supplied “good service and excellent quality products” to Rio Tinto’s QIT Madagascar Minerals ilmenite project a few years ago, Brelko was recently approached to supply its suite of products to RBM.

PANDEMIC AND THE SUPPLY CHAIN Despite a very difficult past 20 months, Brelko is elated that no staff have been put on short time or were retrenched.

Keyskirt® Structure Installation.

“Brelko has been contracted to supply 120 units of conveyor cleaning equipment, and to date has delivered and installed 100 of these units. As soon as the force majeure (declared by Rio Tinto in June due to an

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Before installation of Brelko Products.

escalation in the security situation at the operations) has been lifted, Brelko will install the balance of product,” says Padayachee.

With an eye clearly focused on the continent, the spillage control equipment supplier has also made inroads into supplying product to Canadian miner Ivanhoe Mines’ new mechanised underground mine – the Kamoa-Kakula copper project – in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Brelko is supplying a full turnkey service offering to the project, including primary and secondary scrapers and angle ploughs as well as Keyskirt, belt tracking and hi-impact systems,” says Padayachee.

TAPPING INTO ESKOM’S CONVEYOR SYSTEMS STRATEGY

Speaking at a virtual Coal Industry Day recently, Eskom’s GM for primary energy, Sandile Siyaya, told delegates that as a substantial portion of Eskom’s coal was being nicked, there was a growing preference for coal to be delivered on conveyor belts as this would ensure a predictable price path and security of coal supply.

Eskom’s CEO André de Ruyter adds that the trucking of coal to power stations is becoming increasingly expensive, with the options of conveyor belts and rail becoming decidedly more attractive.

In fact, the power producer recently signed a deal with Arnot OpCo, which will relay coal to the Arnot power station via conveyor belt.

The power producer’s preference for coal

“

Robotic assembly of a scraper blade.

BRELKO PATENTS NEW SAFETY DEVICE

Since its establishment 35 years ago, Brelko has patented numerous product innovations.

“We have a steadfast focus on research and development aiming at constantly improving and enhancing our products through innovation – this has earned us a reputation for delivering premium quality products,” says Padayachee.

The company recently designed, developed and commissioned its new Nip Guard safety device which looks to eliminate unnecessary injuries known to occur around pulley nip points and pinch point hazards.

“We understand that we have a responsibility to our workers and that those working on our products must, as far as possible, remain safe and free from harm or injury. The Nip Guard is our latest product innovation and we believe that we have created a product that provides safety, efficiency and improved productivity.”

The Nip Guard has been manufactured to meet the various mounting standards, including SABS, CEMA, Australian and PROK. “The product requires low maintenance, operates in all conditions and owing to its robust construction, ensures product

Brelko is supplying a full turnkey service offering to the Kamoa Kakula copper project.

– Padayachee

“

delivery on conveyor belts certainly bodes well for conveyor belt cleaning equipment suppliers such as Brelko.

In fact Brelko, which has a long history with the power utility (spanning over 30 years), is looking to grow its offering to more power stations, including Kendal, Lethabo, Matla, Majuba, Kriel, Kusile, Medupi, Camden and Tutuka power stations.

“While Eskom is known to get a lot of bad press, my experience has been extremely positive with our interaction being with a group of hard-working people eager to help support the local community surrounding its power stations.”

As a case in point, says Padayachee, suppliers to the power producer are required to redirect 1% of the value of the contract to uplifting the community surrounding the identified projects.

“As part of the Kendal Power Station contract, Brelko was required to invest 1% of the R15-million contract towards community improvement, as was the case with its contract with Lethabo Power Station. As part of promoting job creation, we hired locals, such as boilermakers, from the Meyerton area.”

longevity, thereby contributing to lower expenses and improved productivity.”

According to Padayachee, the Nip Guard has already been commissioned and tested on-site at a number of mining operations. “All problems have been ironed out and the Nip Guard is working well on mining conveyor systems. For Brelko safety is non-negotiable and we therefore work to constantly improve our product range.” ■

BRELKO Brelko is a Level 1 B-BBEE-accredited company, supplying polyurethane rollers, belt scrapers, Keyskirt chute sealing systems, belt centralising systems and polyurethane hi-impact systems across a number of sectors, predominantly the mining sector.

Brelko products are operational at Lethabo Power Station.

Keyskirt® Structure Installation.

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MATERIALS HANDLING

THERMAL IMAGING Reveals potential failures in mining machinery

T

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“ Thermal imaging technologies show great promise for equipment operators.

– Longbottom

“

hermal imaging of machine parts enables Shell LubeExpert to identify and tackle potential vulnerabilities in mining equipment, to help avoid downtime and safety threats.

It’s no simple task to ensure safety and avoid unscheduled downtime to keep mining activity as continuous and efficient as possible. Consider how many mining activities require heavy-duty machines, each with a host of potential points of failure.

Shell believes that technology is a key enabler in diligently monitoring and scheduling maintenance to ensure equipment maintains optimum conditions.

One such example is the thermal imaging used by Shell LubeExpert to provide greater insight into mining machinery.

Michael Longbottom, global lubricant expert manager for Shell, says: “Historically, operators had three options for managing the life cycle of equipment: run to fail; schedule preventive maintenance; or guess when an intervention could prevent a failure.

“However, with vast streams of analytical tools, they are increasingly able to rely on predictive maintenance to protect, maintain and optimise the longevity of their products – which is central to Shell Lubricants’ philosophy.”

By using a video streaming camera and strobostatic imaging technologies during machine inspection, Shell LubeExpert teams can capture an entire gear set in motion.

For example, with a rotating 360° image of a gear, Shell LubeExpert can determine the lubrication contact and temperature pattern area around and across the tooth and witness any changes in movement and variations in tooth loading and contact.

Meanwhile the strobostatic imaging technology tool slows down the oscillation of the gears enough to allow a technician to look at a single gear as it rotates.

EQUIPPED FOR INDUSTRY 4.0

Thermal imaging technologies show great promise for equipment operators, with early adopters gaining a competitive edge by harnessing the support from a lubricants supplier to upskill staff on Industry 4.0 technologies.

However, while several imaging technologies are available to the market, businesses still do not fully understand the benefits of a proactive maintenance strategy.

Added to that, of the mining companies surveyed, 34% say they’re lacking trusted third-party support.

With over 20 years of industry experience, the Shell LubeExpert team is equipped with the technical expertise to provide advice required to set operators on the path to success.

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INSPECTIONS AT THE RIGHT TIME HELP AVOID MAJOR GEAR DAMAGE IN SOUTH AFRICA

During a routine Shell LubeExpert operational inspection on a BE 1570W dragline in South Africa, the inspection revealed strange looking contact patterns on a new drag and hoist gear set that had just gone into service during a major shutdown.

Using video streaming thermal imaging and stroboscope inspections, a Shell LubeExpert team was able to identify the root cause of the problem, and that less than 30% of the tooth was carrying the load.

In another instance, our Shell LubeExpert used thermal imaging to uncover a costly culprit: the injector on a dragline that had been over-lubricating by more than one pound every time the system cycled.

That’s equal to a lubrication system cycling four times an hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This came out to $70 000 a year wasted on lubricant on one injector.

Working closely with the customer, Shell Lubricants’ experts delivered the correct solution to stop the over-lubrication in its tracks, helping to optimise the life of the component and protect profits. ■

MATERIALS HANDLING

BABCOCK STREAMLINES SUPPLY CHAIN

METSO OUTOTEC

EXPANDS LOKOTRACK MOBILE SERIES

Babcock Africa has established a new national parts distribution centre to enhance efficiency of its supply chain process across all the company’s operations. The streamlined central warehouse will stock spare parts and components for all of Babcock’s business units and will facilitate the swift dispatch of items to all its national and regional branches, the company says.

Babcock delivers engineering support services to the energy, process, mining and construction industries, and is a regional distributor for many leading international brands.

The wholesale distribution centre is already in full operation. According to Hans Roos, head of supply chain at Babcock Africa, the centralised facility is part of Babcock’s new operating model to improve productivity and efficiency.

The warehouse currently holds parts and supports the logistical requirements for DAF Trucks and Babcock’s full suite of construction equipment brands (Volvo Construction Equipment, Tadano, Sennebogen, SDLG and Winget). Plans are under way to incorporate Babcock’s other business units into the national parts distribution centre.

Metso Outotec recently launched two new models to the Lokotrack mobile crushing and screening series – the new Lokotrack LT200HPX and Lokotrack LT220GP mobile cone crushers.

The products are compact and efficient and ideal for aggregate contractor customers, bringing up to 30% more capacity and added flexibility compared to earlier models. The new models premiered during Metso Outotec’s virtual studio events in October, the company said.

“The new models and our end-to-end offering demonstrate our focus on improving aggregate customers’ operations and bottom line,” said Kimmo Anttila, vice president, Lokotrack Solutions at Metso Outotec.

“With these new models of 300 metric tonnes per hour capacity and 40 metric tonnes transport weight, the customers have even more choice and flexibility to select from our cone crusher range. Lokotrack is a sustainable and future-proof choice for any type of aggregate production.”

FUCHS LUBRICANTS SOUTH AFRICA TARGETS GROWTH IN AFRICA Moving to a centralised new head office in Isando, Johannesburg, and launching a new unified product brand image in midNovember was all part of a long-term strategy for sustained growth and expansion going forward for Fuchs Lubricants South Africa, the company said.

“We are 100% focused on leveraging this extensive portfolio across our main markets, which are mining, construction, automotive, heavy engineering general industrial, among others,” said sales director Andrew Cowling.

The company has longstanding relationships with various original equipment manufacturers (OEMS), especially in the automotive sector, and has good penetration into Southern Africa at the moment in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique in particular. “Our affiliation with these OEMS means we play a key role in helping grow their brands.”

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MATERIALS HANDLING

RGM CRANES

SUPPORTS PRODUCTIVITY AT SANDVIK’S NEW FACILITIES Sandvik Mining RSA has appointed RGM Cranes to provide 19 overhead single and double girder cranes, ranging from three to 30 tonnes in capacity, at its new facilities in Kempton Park, the company says.

Anthony Breedt, technical department project coordinator at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions Southern Africa, says that in addition to RGM Cranes’ track record, factors that were taken into consideration in the awarding of the contract included customer service, the ability to quickly and efficiently formulate bespoke solutions, and the ready availability of spares and components.

“As an added bonus for Sandvik Mining RSA, RGM Cranes’ overhead single and double girder cranes are highly affordable, making the cost-to-performance ratio extremely favourable,” says Shaun Field, sales engineer at RGM Cranes.

Field says the selected RGM Cranes overhead cranes incorporate Guralp equipment that includes a hoist monitoring system, electromagnetic brakes, predictive maintenance application, programmable control unit, variable speed drive control on cross and long travel motions, as well as load limits in a sheave bracket to assist with uncalibrated loads.

“The cranes are being used for various operations within a number of sections that include maintenance, production, processing, wash bay, components department and the manufacturing department. It was important to offer a combination of crane configurations that would maximise crane usage for the different area applications and equipment to be lifted,” says Field.

The project rollout was conducted in three phases: Workshop 1 – Rebuilding of all steel track units.

Workshop 2 – Rebuilding of all rubber tyre vehicles with local components in accordance with customer requirements and OEM standards.

Workshop 3 – Production unit where Sandvik will build new units locally.

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NEW MANGANESE TERMINAL AT PORT OF NGQURA The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) recently issued a request for proposal inviting competent service providers to submit proposals for the development of a new manganese export terminal at the Port of Ngqura in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.

Transnet National Ports Authority appointed the CDC as the implementing agent for the relocation of the manganese terminal and the Liquid Bulk Terminal from the Port of Port Elizabeth to the Port of Ngqura.

The primary objective of this project is to provide worldclass end-to-end services to the manganese sector in South Africa through ensuring that there is a reliable, efficient and cost-effective bulk materials handling facility and impeccable export services at the Port of Ngqura. It will contribute towards the much-needed economic development of the country, the company says.

The project will unlock significant investment in the mining sector through improvement in logistics infrastructure and services, and this development is therefore critical in advancing government’s objectives as set out in the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.

The new manganese export terminal seeks to have facilities that meet the best environmental standards, with a focus also on near-zero dust emissions, and zero impact on the groundwater, and other natural resources. The required technical solution is for a covered or enclosed manganese stockyard.

“We are moving away from an open stockyard solution for environmental sustainability and world-class best practices,” says Dr Mpumi Mabula, CDC’s executive manager for infrastructure planning and development.

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ADVANCING THE BIODIVERSITY AGENDA

By Pieter van Greunen, general manager

expected to face greater challenges than the developed world, both in terms of the impacts of climate change and the capacity to respond to it.

Progressive mines that prioritise biodiversity and sustainability think about solutions that preserve and conserve the biodiversity of sensitive regions. Initiatives like establishing plant nurseries that conserve the wild and indigenous plant life on mining land or purchasing land around mines to start a nature reserve not only advance the biodiversity agenda but also create employment for local communities.

The mining industry needs to incorporate biodiversity management into all its integral

projects across all three stages – the design phase, the operational phase and the postclosure phase. Towards the end of the 20th century and throughout the start of the 21st century, the approach to mine closure has changed globally and locally.

Standards on mine closure have been produced and “mine closure” has become a specific discipline within the industry, with major mining companies employing experts in this discipline. This is done to offset the damage caused by mining activities on the land in and around the mine.

Mines today need to be resilient and sustainable to thrive by increasing efficiency and optimisation. The industry must understand the implications of our energy consumption, both in terms of its cost to the climate as well as cost to operations, and remains committed to meeting the energy demands, while limiting carbon emissions.

We remain fully supportive of the outcomes of the Paris Agreement and have taken on carbon reduction targets in alignment with the national goals for cutting emissions.

The priority is not just to focus on zero harm but also to ensure zero discharge and zero waste. The approach to achieve this is by harnessing the potential of technology and innovation.

Technological interventions and concentrated efforts have helped us surpass our water and energy targets. As signatories to the Paris Pledge for Action, we encourage the implementation of a carbon strategy and exploring innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions. As corporate citizens, we must be committed to addressing the climate change challenge with the same vigour as we pursue economic and social development. ■

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“ Mines need to be resilient and sustainable to thrive by increasing efficiency and optimisation.

“

P

rioritising sustainable mining practices and lowering carbon emissions and the carbon footprint of the mining industry has increasingly been a subject of discussion over the past decade.

South Africa’s commitment to the Paris Agreement has been topical in recent months, with government vowing to cut more carbon emissions by 2030. In 2015,195 countries promised to reduce global warming to at least below 2.0°C, and ideally not more than 1.5°C above preindustrial levels.

Climate change is possibly the greatest environmental challenge the world faces this century. Although often referred to as “global warming”, global climate change is more about serious disruptions of the entire world’s weather and climate patterns, including impacts on rainfall, extreme weather events and sea level rise, rather than just moderate temperature increases.

As we mine in arid and semi-arid regions like the Northern Cape, we experience intense rainfall, higher-than-usual heat temperatures and excessive water resources of the Orange River. Thus a reduction in the amount of reliability of rainfall, or an increase in evaporation, would exacerbate the already serious lack of surface and groundwater resources.

Water availability in the arid and semiarid regions, which cover nearly half of South Africa, is particularly sensitive to changes in precipitation. Desertification, which is already a problem in South Africa, could be exacerbated by climate change.

Furthermore, climate change may alter the magnitude, timing and distribution of storms that produce floods and longer droughts. The developing world is

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The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect SA Mining’s editorial policy.

at Vedanta Resources Gamsberg project

COLUMN EQUIPMENT

MININGSTORY WITH THE MAJOR COVER

SA’S EMPLOYMENT LEGISLATION AND QUOTAS

THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION

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The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect SA Mining’s editorial policy.

© Robert Tshabalala @ Financial Mail

much of the rest of the) world just hears these ith four versions and counting of terms it shudders. the ANC’s Mineral and Petroleum Investors however run – away from, not Resources Development Act towards, South Africa. Social engineering, cadre (MPRDA), which has done deployment and quotas were the frequently used irreparable damage to South terms and creations in Stalin’s Soviet Russia, in Africa’s once world-leading mining industry, one Mao’s Communist China and in Nazi Germany’s would think the ruling party would put more grotesque attempts to also “re-engineer” society thought into considering whether the country and history. really needs the newly proposed Employment Surely the ANC can do better than borrow Equity Amendment Bill. from these world-class disasters. From racial It really doesn’t. Firstly, the ANC hasn’t college quotas to forced job placement (al la considered the further damage this bill would Mao’s Chinese “jiuye”) and seemingly “innocent” cause to the country’s mining and other scorecard tick boxes for not only equity industries, to the country, to its people, and of Peter Major composition of companies in SA, but for the much course to foreign investment into the country.

Mergence Corporate higher purchasing quotas as well.

Secondly, South Africa doesn’t need this bill, just Solutions Director: Mining South Africa’s ruling party doesn’t understand like it doesn’t need all of the other ANC-created the very serious downside implications of all and -backed job-destroying economy-wrecking of this. Foreign investment has long disappeared in the country quota-oriented legislation of the past 20 years. because of these utterings and legislation that invariably follows.

To say this new bill was one last throw of the dice for the ANC to But what is as bad – if not worse – are the massive, invariable loss garner more votes in recent municipal elections before it got turfed of jobs and economic activity because of the ANC’s rabid vocalising out is probably true. But the bill’s real intent is more nefarious than and attempts to implement these catastrophes. that.

Less intense, but seemingly just as eagerly relished by the ruling This populist proposed amendment bill would further entrench party, is forced job placement. Looking at the ANC’s employment current crony capitalism in SA’s mining and other industries from equity legislation and current and further proposed bills, forced the country’s already terribly overstretched, out-of-depth, greatly job placement seems to be a real compromised and discredited favourite of theirs.

Labour and Mining Ministries. It SA’s Gold Mine Employment 000’s With the ANC’s multitude of grants the minister huge 700 ministers constantly competing and many discretionary and to show their worth, their zeal, arbitrary powers to set and 600 their loyalty to the cause – they enforce racial targets and are only too eager to adopt quotas, award contracts, ban 500 quotas and resolutions for racial companies from government 400 admission into the country’s tenders, determine compliance 300 government and parastatals and and much else. universities.

Draconian and totally 200 And we all know how once devoid of even any reference to 100 begun, quotas develop lives of meritocracy and constitutional their own and soon spread to rights. It is more hideous “state 0 every other level of employment, control” – at its worst.

86 91 96 2001 6 11 16 2021 institutions and industry in the The current black economic country. empowerment, MPRDA and No one really knows, including employment equity bills the ANC’s high-ranking officials and ministers, how thorough and and policies are already renowned for causing massive economic entrenched their various quota-based and contained legislation destruction and huge loss of jobs in South Africa, especially in is supposed to permeate South African society. But the official mining (450 000 jobs lost in SA’s gold mines alone)(Australia commentary says “completely”. tripled its mining labour force in the same period). Corruption and Each individual minister and ministry (there are 28) seem to devastation have flourished under the ministerial and departmental have their own vision, their own interpretation of the ANC’s new discretion exercised over the past 25 years with this type of world order for the country. If these were even halfway agreed on by legislation, bringing the mining industry and South Africa to their business and the ruling party (which they usually are not) and then knees. implemented, industry could then try to steer a path to some kind Any new mining and related jobs that have been created over the of stability and sustainability around them. past 25 years have been cancelled out by the multiples of jobs lost South Africa’s ruling party, the ANC, would create vastly more due to these ill-conceived and -intended policies and legislation. economy, employment and wealth for all of South Africa and its The evidence is there for everyone to see. Yet government continues citizens by rescinding most of the legislation passed over the with this blind and relentless dogmatism of cadre deployment, previous two decades and simplifying and making morally and quotas and social and economic re-engineering. ethically sound the legislation and policies it doesn’t rescind.

It doesn’t seem to appreciate, possibly due to lack of The big question is, will the party ever even contemplate appreciation of world history, of how this kind of thinking, talk and changing tack, let alone discuss it publicly, let alone ever – willing action has led to catastrophic results not just for South Africa and or not – try a different path before all is lost? ■ its people, but for its neighbours as well. When the western (and

We’re proud of our rich past and together we are ready to take the mining industry where we’ve always been headed: FORWARD.

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MATERIALS HANDLING

© ISTOCK – kynny

CLEAN ENERGY Central African minerals in the spotlight

By Ogi Williams: director of strategy and consulting at In On Africa

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Similar to copper, demand for cobalt – a key component in the manufacture of EV batteries – has risen drastically in recent years, with the price standing at over $50 000 a tonne as of May 2021, surging by over 60% since the start of the year.

Nickel is reflecting the same trend with prices surging by close to 70% over the past year reaching highs of $18 000 per tonne, primarily driven by rising EV sales in Europe and China.

“

Some forward motions are being made by the governments of African states who are set to boom off the back of the global energy transition.

“

T

he global revolution in clean energy adoption is now in full swing. States across the world, primarily in developed regions but also in developing nations in the global south, are looking to wean off their dependence on carbon-based energy generation – including coal, oil and later gas – and transportation fuelled by hydrocarbons.

This shift does however come with a number of complexities, including establishing more robust supply chains for various minerals and rare earth elements that will be required as part of this transition.

Green energy transportation such as electric vehicles (EVs) and power generation units such as wind turbines require significantly more material to develop than their carbon counterparts. Various types of EVs including hybrid electric (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) and battery-electric (BEV) require anywhere between 35kg and 80kg of copper in order to operate, paling the needs of conventional vehicles that only sap 8kg to 20kg of the same.

Wind turbines will similarly require significantly more copper for both onshore and offshore installations than conventional power generation plants, with global oil and gas consulting firm Wood Mackenzie estimating that 5.5 metric tonnes of copper will be needed leading up to 2028 to meet the needs of new projects.

With United States-based EV manufacturer Tesla announcing in the latter half of 2020 that it will be increasing the use of manganese in the production of batteries for its mid-range vehicles, the price of this mineral is also expected to rise in parallel to the others mentioned.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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THE BATTLE FOR RARE EARTH MINERALS BEGINS

Though rare earth elements are more negligible in their current contribution to the energy transition, as technology evolves they could play an increasing role. Representing a cluster of 15 minerals, rare earth elements such neodymium and praseodymium – or NdPr as they are more commonly known – are key components in the production of magnets used to power EVs, which in turn are set to absorb around 40% of future demand.

China, as the dominant processor of rare earths, is moving forward strategically in its role within the global EV supply chain given recent trade tensions with the US and is likely to exert significant pressure on the latter when it comes to stable supplies.

In turn the US has begun to shift its policy prerogatives to move away from its dependence on China as a supplier of processed rare earth elements – currently accounting for some four fifths of supply – and has turned its attention to Africa as an alternative source while also building up its own capacity for processing rare earth elements. Both Burundi and Malawi are on the US shortlist of key future suppliers.

All things considered, the rising demand for such minerals is set to have a significant impact on various African producers who are at present key suppliers to global markets including Burundi (coltan, rare earth elements) the Democratic Republic of the

© ISTOCK – arstock

“ The rising demand for energy-related minerals is set to have a significant impact on African producers who are key suppliers to global markets.

The growth in attention on African states as suppliers of energy-transition minerals is not new, but it is becoming a more difficult issue to overlook as the world ramps up impetus to move away from carbon-based energy and transportation sources.

Both the DRC and more recently Rwanda have come into the spotlight for the wrong reasons when looking at their roles in the cobalt supply chain. The DRC has been facing scrutiny over transparency in production and supply of cobalt for some time, with human rights abuses and sidelining of artisanal miners during the Joseph Kabila administration being commonplace.

A June 2020 report by International Crisis Group, a peace-keeping NGO, noted the incidence of the forced removal of artisanal miners from industrial mining sites in the Haut-Katanga and Lualaba province, despite not encroaching on existing operations in any way.

Smuggling of cobalt and coltan into Rwanda to maximise on tax savings is also commonplace and driving illegal trade between the two nations, with Rwanda now coming under scrutiny for facilitating the movement of “blood minerals”.

Some forward motions are being made by the governments of African states who are set to boom off the back of the global energy transition. Though stability is fragile in the DRC, the Félix Tshisekedi administration has sought to move on reviewing existing contracts with Chinese firms in August 2021 as a way to eek out additional value from the country’s mineral wealth while simultaneously

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looking to curb the illegal movement of minerals.

In parallel, the incoming administration of Évariste Ndayishimiye in Burundi has also sought to re-evaluate existing contracts with rare earth mining companies as of July 2021, the main one targeted being US-based Rainbow Rare Earths, as a move to seek additional beneficiation in preparation for the looming boom in demand.

The current motions being made by African governments are positive, but more needs to be done in preparation for growth in demand. With the US increasingly looking to the continent as a supplier of key minerals, African governments will need to place greater emphasis on oversights and transparency initiatives, lest the former start increasing political and economic pressure to comply with global supply chain standards, while also focusing on development initiatives, particularly in the artisanal mining space. n

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

47

The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect SA Mining’s editorial policy.

STRONG REGULATION IS NECESSARY FOR SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSPARENCY

© ISTOCK – SimoneN

“

Congo (cobalt, coltan, nickel), and Rwanda (coltan, rare earth elements).

The argument for more formalised and structured oversight in supply chains within such states is growing in parallel. In May 2021 the International Energy Agency (IEA) released a special report noting the importance of structured and formalised supply chains of key minerals including cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, nickel, manganese, molybdenum and silicon, along with the same treatment being given to suppliers of rare earth elements, particularly within African states who are set to play an ever-growing role in facilitating the energy transition.

MAKING MINES WORK

AWC WIDENS DISTRIBUTION OF BÖHLER WELDING RANGE

Barrick Gold’s Kibali mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains on track to achieve its production guidance for the year and grow its mineral reserves, securing its future as a Tier One operation for at least another 10 years, says Barrick’s chief executive Mark Bristow.

He says the company is continuing investment in technological innovation, especially developments in automated mining. Machine learning has been implemented at the mine’s three hydropower stations and reactive control of the enlarged battery installation will further reduce the need for backup diesel generation, shrinking Kibali’s already relatively small carbon footprint.

New automation software for the underground haulage loaders has been installed and the commissioning of a system for remote stope bogging now enables operators to control loaders from surface.

“Surface control is safer and more efficient, and it also creates employment opportunities for women in an industry where these are not abundant. It’s worth noting that all these operators are Congolese, as Kibali continues to employ and upskill locals in line with Barrick’s global policy of giving preference to host country nationals.

“Congolese citizens currently make up 94% of Kibali’s workforce, including its leadership,” Bristow says. “To date Kibali has contributed $3.7-billion to the Congolese economy in the form of payments to contractors and suppliers, infrastructure community and support, salaries and royalties, taxes and permits.

“The success of our continuing exploration programme around the mine confirms the potential for reserve growth from new open pittable resources and extensions to the high-grade underground orebodies, indicating that Kibali will materially benefit the DRC and its people for years to come.”

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© ISTOCK – Thossaphol

KIBALI ADVANCES AUTOMATED MINING

Böhler Welding has taken the strategic decision to invest in growing its presence in Africa. This is evident from its investment in the joint venture with Afrox at the Brits consumables factory, in which Böhler now has the controlling share and full management responsibility. This shows strategic intent for the future of its consumables range into Africa, the company says.

While owned by Afrox, African Welding Company (AWC) is a totally separate entity that is solely responsible for the Böhler Welding product range in South Africa. AWC operates as the principal distributor for Böhler Welding in South Africa and in selected sub-Saharan African countries.

The goodwill generated by this deal sparked the opportunity to form AWC as a new distribution vehicle exclusively dedicated to the Böhler Welding product range. A key advantage is that AWC has access to Afrox’s warehousing and financial strengths and to its network of local distribution outlets.

AWC operates independently of Afrox with respect to customers, pricing sales and marketing. “We go to market with a world-class Böhler product that can compete against all other quality brands of welding consumables and equipment, including Afrox,” says head of AWC, Gerhard van Wyk. AWC has established formal commercial arrangements to use the facilities at 11 local Afrox outlets to house Böhler products, while two more will soon be finalised. These products will be made available for click-and-collect or direct delivery orders placed via AWC’s national call centre or online platform.

This gives AWC a nationwide network for delivery and collection services, a national footprint and a presence in all major centres. In addition, there are several Afrox/Linde outlets across Africa that are being approached to become part of an extended AWC network.

Well known for its premium electrodes and consumables, Böhler recently moved into manufacturing more affordable general-purpose products, such as its Böhler AWS E6013 General Purpose MMA Electrodes and the low hydrogen Böhler AWS E7018 Electrodes. These are very competitively priced and ideal for routine everyday use.

FIRE RISK

IN THE CHEMICAL PROCESSING INDUSTRY

ASP Fire offers a turnkey fire engineering service for the chemical processing industry.

“ “

A

fire that broke out at the KZN Resins factory in Durban at the end of August has placed the spotlight on the extreme hazards associated with the chemical processing industry (CPI), says ASP Fire CEO Michael van Niekerk.

These hazards can quickly lead to a cascading sequence of events, resulting in a potentially catastrophic loss. Here fire protection systems should be designed in conjunction with, or in consideration of, the respective process hazard analysis. It includes identification of critical equipment needed to prevent any catastrophic loss, and will ultimately estimate the likelihood and severity of any unwanted releases.

To meet the fire protection objectives and loss mitigation, both passive and active fire protection features and systems should be implemented. Common and effective features include both passive (functional features as in drainage systems) and active (mechanical, as in a sprinkler or deluge system).

Some chemical fire retardants interrupt the chemical reaction in the gas phase of combustion, for example halon and PhostrEx, whereas others break down the polymers in the solid phase of combustion so that these melt and flow away from the flame. Other solid-phase chemical fire retardants cause a layer of carbon char to form on a polymer surface that is very difficult to burn. Intumescents are materials containing chemicals that cause swelling up behind the protective char layer, providing even more insulation.

A system not designed for the storage of flammable liquids, particularly in plastic containers, whether stored in racks or on the ground, poses a risk for multiple fires starting together within the storage area, and can lead directly to the failure of the best fire systems installed, warns Van Niekerk.

Both passive and active fire protection systems are required in the chemical processing industry.

– Van Niekerk In terms of the specific measures required to combat such a fire, no two firefighting operations are the same. “However, one thing always remains constant. In order to save lives, firefighters must first protect their own lives,” stresses van Niekerk. Therefore, the equipment they select has to be robust, reliable and fail-safe, even in demanding conditions, and firefighters must be familiar with their equipment.

Every second in which the body is depleted of oxygen or exposed to high concentrations of toxic substances can result in acute or lasting harm to health. Wearing self-contained breathing apparatus is essential, as well as flash hoods or hooded masks to protect one’s eyes. Firefighters must always ensure their equipment is wellmaintained and should clean it thoroughly after each use.

ASP Fire provides a turnkey service whereby sound fire-engineering principles are applied to ensure that the design complies with the life, property and environmental fire safety objectives required by law.

Thereafter its accredited fire technicians will install the recommended system design and, finally, technicians will maintain the system at the suggested intervals as determined by the applicable bylaws.

“Essentially the legislation is concerned, quite simply, with the need for all buildings to be designed, constructed and equipped so that in the event of fire, the risk of life and to the buildings themselves is preventable. If a fire does break out, the fire prevention system must be efficient enough to mitigate the fallout of said fire,” says Van Niekerk. ■

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SA MINING

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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MAKING MINES WORK

HEAVY-LIFTING EQUIPMENT RUNS ON POLYMER BEARINGS Dock-levelling manufacturer REV Designs recently completed the design and construction of three of the country’s largest scissor lifts with a capacity of up to 40 tonnes per lift.

The Springs-based manufacturer incorporated a host of clever designs to facilitate the heavy-lifting ability of the scissor lifts, earmarked for use in the saw milling industry. It also included the latest polymer bearings to enable heavy lifting with minimal wear and damage for considerably longer service life and maintenance intervals, the company said.

According to REV Designs founder Ricardo Viljoen, the use of igus high-performance polymer bearings ensures that the pivot points work smoothly with vastly reduced wear compared to traditional bearings.

There’s also no need for lubrication or daily maintenance.

“The bearings needed to be very strong to withstand the kind of forces that are placed on it in this hard-pushed timber processing environment. With this in mind, we worked closely with igus’s polymer bearing specialist, JuanEric Davidtz, who was able to match the right bearings for our requirements.

Our design uses 33 bushes per lift and each one has specific operational requirements,” says Viljoen.

He says polymer bearings supplied by igus have become integral to nearly all new designs due to the bearings’ rugged and long-lasting abilities. That means that the bearings are able to last as long as the best materials used on the company’s lifting equipment, docklevellers and other equipment.

KELLER KEEPS ABREAST OF ELECTRONICS INNOVATIONS Developments in electronics are moving at great speed, and so KELLER components are regularly examined to ensure they continue to meet its strict requirements.

“Our X-Line products have undergone such a change in electronics that a completely new electronics series has been developed, complete with improved specifications and more digital interfaces. And of course fully compatible with the trusted KELLER communication protocol and software,” says commercial director for KELLER Martijn Smit.

He says this development involves more than 40 KELLER series.

“To ensure that everything runs smoothly, this adjustment will therefore be implemented in phases. The first series has been equipped with the new electronics since June 2021, with a new firmware version and an updated Modbus protocol.”

The user will not notice any changes to the electronics, as there are no changes in usage.

“But because the latest updates have been installed, the result is that the electronics react faster and are immediately noticeable so that we can determine in the software before delivery which output signal the sensor will receive.”

KELLER sensors are well known for their high accuracy and

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competitive prices. There’s now the added advantage that they are equipped with the latest electronics for many different applications.

KELLER AG für Druckmesstechnik is the world’s largest manufacturer of Piezoresistive original equipment manufacturer pressure sensors.

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INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

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