Modern Mining January 2022

MANGANESE

Towards peak production

East Manganese mined its first ore in September 2021.

I n what is the company’s first foray outside its traditional mainstay of coal and anthracite in South Africa, Menar Group mined its first ore at East Manganese mine in September 2021, a few weeks after exposing the first ore in August the same year. The project, owned and operated by Sitatunga Resources, received a R250-million investment from Sitatunga’s largest shareholder, Menar. Having exposed first ore in August 2021, Kobus Rothmann, Menar COO: Manganese, tells Modern Mining that the mine is on track to achieve peak produc- tion of 30 000 t a month of run of mine material in February 2022. Having purchased East Manganese from Southern Ambi t ion in September 2018, the R250‑mi l l ion project, part of Menar planned R7-billion investments, was granted environmen- tal authorisation in February 2019, followed by the mining right in August 2019. The last in a series of regulatory approvals was the water use licence, which was granted in September 2020, paving the way for the start of mining operations. Commenting on the first production milestone, Rothmann says East Manganese is the only mine in South Africa that was launched in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the company started mining the box cut in September 2020. Although the company recorded a few cases of COVID-19 in its development team, it was able to manage the situation in such a way that it had

Having mined its first ore in September 2021, East Manganese – the only mine in South Africa to be launched in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic – will ramp up run of mine production to 30 000 t a month by February this year. By Munesu Shoko .

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Kobus Rothmann, Menar COO: Manganese.

22  MODERN MINING  January 2022