Modern Mining July 2018

IRON ORE

was taken in late 2013 and the project was com- pleted by mid-2017. In all, 468 households have been moved and the media group was able to view the new homes and community facilities. There are a small number of residents still living in Dingleton and negotiations are ongoing with them but, in essence, the message from Maluleke was that the resettlement project has been a big success and has opened the way for additional reserves to be brought into the Sishen mine plan. Finally, what of the future for Sishen? The mine’s remaining life is 13 years based on its ore reserves of 500,8 Mt at 58 % Fe. There is confidence, however, among Kumba’s execu- tives that this can be extended through the use of the UHDMS technology already referred to and Kumba’s ongoing exploration programme, which is mainly focused close to – and between – the existing operations. In the meantime, the mine’s vision is, as Mobwano emphasised, to be the benchmark in Anglo American within three years and best in class in the next five years. Based on what the media saw during its visit, these objectives seem well within Sishen’s grasp. Photos courtesy of Kumba (unless otherwise acknowledged).

There are now ten drones in operation, four at Kolomela – where the first one was introduced in December 2015 – and the remaining six at Sishen. Both fixed wing and quadcopter units are used and are controlled by Kumba employ- ees who have been specially trained and who are licensed by the SA Civil Aviation Authority. Concluding his talk, McGavigan said Kumba had completed a review of its technology strat- egy, in the process revising its three-horizon roadmap. Horizon 1, he said, which plotted the way ahead till 2022, would see digital inte- grated solutions being implemented at its mines while Horizon 2, covering the period from 2023 to 2026, would emphasise what he called ‘seamless remote mining’. Horizon 3, for the period beyond 2026, would involve the intro- duction of future ‘smart mining technologies’. The media’s visit to Sishen was not just about technology and concluded with a visit to Siyathemba, a new town established by Kumba to replace Dingleton, a town established in the 1950s to cater for Sishen employees. As George Maluleke, Kumba’s GM for Projects, explained, Dingleton’s residents have had to be relocated to allow expansion of the Sishen pit to the south-west of the mine. The decision to go ahead with the Siyathemba development

An aerial view of the mine. The pit is now 14 km long with an average width of 2,5 km (photo: Arthur Tassell).

July 2018  MODERN MINING  33