OVERVIEW Mining Eight
OVERVIEW Mining Eight new investments are bringing jobs to Limpopo. Mining companies are increasingly concerning themselves with environmental issues. A R1.5-billion project to improve air quality at Anglo-Platinum’s Polokwane smelter will be finalised in 2020. The Sulphur Dioxide Abatement project will reduce carbon emissions by 96%, create 500 construction jobs and provide contract work for about a dozen Limpopo companies. The smelter is shown in the main picture on this page. Anglo Platinum’s (Amplats) Mogalakwena mine produced a record 1 170 000 PGM ounces in 2018, an improvement of 7%. The company recorded a number of improvements in efficiencies (operating time of concentrators rose to over 94%) and the company is investigating possible expansion of the mine complex. The sale in late 2018 of Glencore’s stake in the Mototolo PGM mine and chrome plant marked the end of that company’s foray into platinum. The purchase of Glencore’s 39% stake takes Amplats’ share in the complex SECTOR INSIGHTS Amplats’ Polokwane smelter has installed sophisticated air-quality equipment. up to 89%, giving Amplats access to a further 130 000oz of platinum and improving the prospects of working on the adjacent Der Brochen. The deal was worth about R1.5-billion. Eland mine, after being put on care and maintenance, was sold in LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2019/20 44
OVERVIEW expansion projet at its Zondereinde mine just south of Thabazimbi. By building a second furnace at the facility, Northam is making provision for reaching a goal of processing one-million ounces of PGMs. The cost of the expansion, which was partly born by Heraeus, is R900-million. Heraeus South Africa has offices in Gauteng and runs a precious metal chemical compounds production and refinery site in Port Elizabeth. Limpopo contributes 4% of coal mining in South Africa, according to the National Department of Mineral Resources, but it is likely that within the next three decades, the province will be supplying about half of South Africa’s coal. Limpopo’s Waterberg coal field is estimated to contain about 75-billion tons of coal. This is where Exxaro operates its Grootegeluk mine. Nine plants serve a 4km long and 120m deep opencast mine on a 1 200ha site. Originally intended to supply the nearby power plants, Exxaro is now eyeing the export market with countries such as Ethiopia, Egypt and Pakistan potential markets. By 2023 Exxaro hopes to be producing 60-million tons of coal from its sites in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Its current annual production is 47-million tons. New projects 2017 by Glencore to Northam for R175-million. In 2019 plans were being put in place to re-open the mine because of higher prices for rhodium. The company intends spending R300-million at Eland and R1.5-billion at Booysendal. Impala Platinum (Implats) has an interest in two big operations on the eastern limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex. Marula (in which Implats is a 73% shareholder) is in Limpopo, about 50km north of Burgersfort. South of the same town, in Mpumalanga, Implats (49%) is in a joint venture with African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) at the Two Rivers mine. Northam bought the Tumela block from Amplats and invested heavily in a smelter Eight new mining projects in the Capricorn and Sekhukhune districts are expected to attract investments worth R2.5-billion and create about 3 000 new jobs. There are currently 147 active mining projects in the province and the sector contributes 24.5% to the Provincial Gross Domestic Product (PGDP). According to the Office of the Premier, the number of jobs in the sector increased from 71 000 in 2013 to 103 000 in 2017/18. The soils of Limpopo are rich in platinum group metals, coal, copper, diamonds, gold, iron ore, nickel, rare earth minerals and tin. Other major investments in Limpopo include an ongoing project by De Beers to convert its Venetia 45 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2019/20
