Modern Mining April 2019

MINING News

Coal miner launches educational programme

added that BRM focuses on upliftment and enablement in the communities sur- rounding its colliery and from the areas where it sources labour and suppliers and places great importance on activities and initiatives which will show tangible benefits. Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral Resources, and executives from the Department of Mineral Resources were recently invited to the colliery for a dis- cussion around the Mining Academic

Black Royalty Minerals (BRM), a division of the Makole Group and operator of Chilwavhusiku Colliery, a fully black-owned mine based in Bronkhorstspruit, has launched its Mining Academic Programme (MAP). The focus of this programme is to provide educational support to the local community, increasing the understanding of key subjects and assisting in broader poverty alleviation. In partnership with MINDSET, an educa- tional technology and media NGO, BRM’s

MAP provides a supplementary education platform that delivers academic support to 400 senior high school learners in the Tshwane region’s seven municipalities. Using technology and qualified facilitators, learners will receive free high-quality extra lessons in key subjects once a week. “MAP is one of the many ways in which BRM continually strives to make a difference to the lives of the number of historically disadvantaged learners,” said Ndavhe Mareda, CEO of BRM. He

Programme and the positive impact that this will have on the community. He assessed the progress and milestones of the coal mine since it commenced operating a year ago. Mantashe later joined the launch event for the MAP project where Prince George Mahlangu, Gauteng MEC of Education Panyaza Lesufi and execu- tives from the Department of Education gathered to meet and talk to some of the students who will be part of the programme. “We are proud of how the community has embraced MAP and look forward to helping the students achieve their full potential. We will continue to support the community and expand on similar programmes,” concluded Mareda. 

Minister Gwede Mantashe and other VIP guests at Chilwavhusiku Colliery.

Magnum starts on second stage of trial mining at Gravelotte ASX-listed Magnum Mining & Exploration has launched a second phase of trial min- ing at its 74 %-owned Gravelotte emerald project in South Africa’s Limpopo Province. In 2018 Magnum completed the first stage of its evaluation programme by the trial processing of around 500 tonnes of rock from the existing waste and low grade dumps at Gravelotte. This first stage pro- gramme provided valuable information on the crushing characteristics of Gravelotte rocks and determined that XRF technology was the most efficient and accurate sorting method to liberate the emeralds. North and Discovery pits at Gravelotte. Themining stage of this programme has now commenced and is anticipated to take around 20-25 days to complete. Mining is through drill-and-blast and excavation into short haul trucks to the stockpile area adja- cent to the processing circuit. The processing circuit, which will incorporate an XRF unit, has been con- structed locally to Magnum’s design and specifications and was due to commence processing the mined material in late March after a short commissioning period using material from the low grade and waste dumps.

targeted to recover in excess of 250 000 carats. The trial processing and mining opera- tions at Gravelotte have been greatly assisted by all necessary infrastructure being already established on site. This infrastructure includes mess, accommoda- tion and mine administration buildings, water and power, and large work sheds for plant and equipment. From 1929 to 1982, the total recorded emerald production from the Gravelotte project, as well as the area surrounding the nearby Gravelotte township, was nearly 113 million carats. It is reported that dur- ing the 1960s the Gravelotte project itself was the largest emerald mine of its type in the world, employing over 400 sorters. 

The second and final stage of the evaluation programme is the trial mining, processing and sorting of around 8 000 tonnes of rock from the historic Cobra

Based on the historic average mining grade of 6 g/t (30 carats per tonne), this second stage trial mining programme is

16  MODERN MINING  April 2019