SPECIAL FEATURE achieved
SPECIAL FEATURE achieved efficiencies which helped it to increase production by 3% for the three months to the end of March 2021, compared to the same period in 2020. The total produced was 103 000 tons. Platinum group metals (PGM) miner Sibanye Stillwater will spend a further R3.9-billion on an expansion project at its Marikana mine, after previous owners Lonmin spent more than R4-billion on it. The aim is to be producing 250 000oz per year of platinum, gold, palladium and rhodium in 2028. It is not only PGMs that are sparking interest in expanded operations. Harmony Gold is at an advanced stage of a feasibility study to determine the viability of expanding the Kalgold open-pit operation (Windmill zone). Kalgold is an open-pit gold mine situated on the Kraaipan Greenstone Belt, 55km south-west of Mahikeng. In 2020, 1 153kg of gold was produced, against 1 249kg in the previous year. Small business support Pilanesberg Platinum Mines created Community Crusher as a nonprofit enterprise but with 14 employees and a steady set of orders for building projects run by the company, the small business is starting to show signs of becoming a bigger business. Many mines run similar programmes, sourcing goods and services from local community-based companies and sometimes providing mentoring and advice on how to improve as businesses. Implats has a programme of procurement in which it supports local business and black-owned businesses through enterprise and supplier development programmes. The Provincial Government of the North West is in talks with several mining companies in the Matlosana Local Municipality area (which includes Klerksdorp and Orkney) as some mines are being closed down. One of the initiatives to extract more value from mining is the proposed Platinum Valley Special Economic Zone. Creating a base for companies to supply the mining industry is one of the key drivers behind the scheme. The SEZ is intended for Mogwase in the Bojanala District, north of Rustenburg and east of Sun City. When fully developed, 200ha of land will be taken up by three infrastructure facilities comprising Logistics, Light Manufacturing and Heavy Manufacturing. The Seda Platinum Incubator (SPI) is an initiative of the Platinum Trust of South Africa and is funded by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) through its Seda Technology Programme (Stp) with the support of the North West Provincial Government and private companies. Mineral resources The North West Province is aligned with the Western Limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, a remarkably rich minerals formation. Mines in the province produce 50% of the platinum produced in the world, and 65% of South Africa’s PGMs. Laboratory testing being done at Pilanesberg Platinum Mines. Credit: PPM Chromite is the other major mineral mined throughout the province, and there are several ferrochrome smelters and other processing plants. South Africa produces about 70% of the world’s chrome. Gold and uranium are found along the border of the province with Gauteng and the Free State (in Klerksdorp and Orkney). Diamonds are mined at Christiana, Bloemhof and Lichtenburg. Other minerals include fluorspar, vanadium, rhodium, uranium, copper, limestone, slate, phosphate, manganese, coal and nickel. Limestone quarries run by G&W Base and Industrial Minerals in the Marico District are located next to a PPC cement factory. One of the last economically viable limestone deposits in South Africa is mined and processed by Sephaku Cement. Sephaku runs a 6 000-ton-per-day clinker plant near Lichtenburg. AfriSam, PPC and Lafarge are active in the Mahikeng/ Lichtenburg area, but Sephaku is confident that its clinker and cement-production facilities will be supported by raw materials for at least 30 years. AfriSam has taken measures to reduce carbon emissions at its Dudfield cement plant. ■ NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2021/22 20
SPECIAL FEATURE SPECIAL FEATURE South African economy at a glance Insight into the South African ecomomy. SPECIAL FEATURE ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA BOTSWANA Limpopo 7% MOZAMBIQUE North West 6% Gauteng Mpumalanga 35% 7% SWAZI- LAND Northern Cape 2% Free State 5% LESOTHO KwaZulu- Natal 16% Western Cape 14% Eastern Cape 8% Percentage contribution of each province to national GDP. SOURCE: STATS SA WWW.STATSSA.GOV.ZA Credit: Impala Platinum secured tens of thousands of new seats on direct Trends Table: South African mining production flights to and from the city). • Companies are successfully trading into Africa. Good Increased signs for the economy by 116.5% include: year-on-year • Niche in agricultural April markets 2021. are booming with • Several provincial governments and investment macadamia nuts being the most successful. agencies are establishing trade relations and Pecan nuts have done well and wine and grape study Largest programmes contributors with BRICS countries. State % increase exports to China % contribution are growing. visits to and from China immediately before and • Private education at school and tertiary level is after a major BRICS summit in 2018 gave an indication that Ramaphosa holds high hopes for • New banking licences have been issued and growing as a sector. Platinum Group Metals 276.1% 39.2% increased trade with the biggest of the BRICS several more are in the pipeline. nations. Two-way trade between the countries in • New stock exchanges came on line in 2017 and 2017 was worth .1-billion. South Africa wants more are expected. to Gold grow tourist numbers from China. South Africa 177.9% • Investment 16.6% in infrastructure (especially ICT and became the first country in the world to export railways) is strong. Nedbank’s report on capital beef to China in 2017, to go with existing exports expenditure in South Africa stated that the of Manganese iron ore, platinum ore and fruit and wine. 208.2% 29 large projects 14.2% announced in the first half • Tourists are visiting South Africa in record numbers (Cape Town’s Air Access programme has Mail). The renewable energy of 2018 were valued at R63.9-billion (Financial programme Iron ore 149.1% 13.3% Source: StatsSA.com 17 SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2019 Source: world exports.com Table: South African mineral sales Mineral sales increased by 152.7% year-on-year in April 2021. Largest contributors % increase % contribution PGMs 465.9% 103 Iron ore 115.6% 19.5 Gold 40.9% 6.5 Source: StatsSA.com Source: world exports.com
