Modern Mining January 2022

skills and relationships in South Africa to build a strong manganese business. East Manganese has already sold its manganese to companies operating in Asia and Europe. Key focus markets will be China and potentially Europe. Menar projects that demand for manganese and a basket of other minerals required for the post- COVID economic reconstruction will be strong in the medium to long term. Scope to grow the portfolio The mine comprises a single, 14 ha open pit opera- tion, which is located on a 50 ha portion of the bigger 1 000 ha mining right area. The mine’s 900 000 t of reserve will be mined over East Manganese’s two- year life of mine. However, Rothmann notes that the company is evaluating other manganese assets in the area and discussions are on-going. The company believes that there is scope to grow its manganese portfolio in the region, given that East Manganese is located in the manganese rich Kalahari Basin, which is host to 80% of the world’s manganese ore bodies. As a financially and technically sound company, Menar has the flexibility to take advantage of any opportunities that may present themselves. 

A view of the 350 t per hour dry crushing and screening plant, which was commissioned in September 2021.

Manganese has numerous applications which impact people’s daily lives. The main uses are in industrial and metallurgical applications. Manganese is essen- tial to the production of steel, aluminium alloys, copper alloys, batteries and a variety of chemicals. To drive his point home, Rothmann refers to the Global Manganese Market Outlook to 2026 report by market insight and analysis company ResearchAndMarkets.com, which states that the global manganese market is expected to grow at a considerable rate, owing to the increasing demand of lithium-ion batteries and a rising global shift towards electric vehicles. “We are pleased to extract amineral that is an ingre- dient to metal batteries, an integral part of the global decarbonisation revolution. Manganese is also key to the production of steel, a product useful in the man- ufacturing of wind turbines and solar panels. On the economic recovery front, there is no doubt that steel will form part of the massive expenditure by govern- ments as they try to revive their economies through infrastructure projects. In a way, East Manganese is shining the light on our big ambitions as we execute our diversification strategy,” says Rothmann. The manganese mining sector is also an inte- gral part of South Africa’s economy. According to the Minerals Council, about 11 143 people were employed in the sector, equalling over R3,9-billion in employee earnings, in 2019. The sector produced over 17-million tonnes and totalled over R45-billion in total sales during the same period. Rothmann is encouraged by the macro sup- ply and demand fundamentals of manganese, with South Africa holding the overwhelming majority of the world’s manganese resources. The company is confident that it can leverage the group’s existing

Talking points  Sitatunga Resources, a subsidiary of 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 mine is on track to achieve peak production of 30 000 t a month of run of mine material in February 2022  All mine infrastructure has been established, including the 350 t per hour dry crushing and screening plant, which was commissioned in September 2021  A major advantage of using a dry crushing and screening plant is that it significantly reduces water requirements and limits pressure on local water sources  The mine employs 80 people, primarily from local areas

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