Modern Mining February 2020

JUNIOR MINING

arrived, and we had to make sure that these were aligned with our values.” From a volumes perspective, the mine currently produces just under 900 000 tonnes (t) per annum, in line with its capped allocation at the Sishen- Saldanha railway line. However, Van Heerden says there are opportunities to further build capacity. With the existing system, without spending a single cent of capital, the operation can produce between 1,1-mil- lion and 1,2-million t per annum. New opportunities Having set Demaneng on a sustainable growth path, Van Heerden has cast his eyes on further diversi- fying and growing the Bulk Commodities segment. To get the ball rolling, Afrimat has recently acquired a 27,27% interest in JSE-listed Unicorn Capital Partners, a company that owns Nkomati Anthracite mine in Mpumalanga. “We are a significant minor- ity shareholder at the moment, but there might be

a time when collusion was the order of the day in the construction space. For us, our growth has always been based on doing things properly and ethically. That was the same approach with Demaneng; there were issues that were not 100% right when we

Major plant upgrades allowed for quick turnaround of the operation.

Key takeaways  Afrimat has identified further opportunities in both existing markets and anticipated new high-growth areas in its quest to become a ‘serious’ junior miner  The company recently acquired a 27,27% interest in JSE-listed Unicorn Capital Partners, a company that owns Nkomati Anthracite mine in Mpumalanga  Anthracite coal’s demand has increased massively in the past few years. It is predicted that the global mined anthracite coal market will be valued at US$68,8-billion by the end of 2027, up from US$58-billion in 2018  To further boost its iron ore business, Afrimat is looking at acquiring further iron ore assets in the Northern Cape 

20  MODERN MINING  February 2020