Modern Mining June 2015

COVER STORY

MK Africa expands its civils

operations, with the group head office based in Irene, Gauteng. Past examples of engineering innovation include the installation of steel tunnels to pro- vide access following cave-ins experienced on decline shaft portals. In one instance at the Everest platinum mine, MK Africa successfully installed a 60 m long steel tunnel, measuring 4,5 m in diameter, down the decline within the existing boxcut. This solution opened up the mine to trackless equipment and personnel in the shortest possible time. Van Schalkwyk joined the company in April 2014 and brings with him decades of project management and civil engineering expertise on mega contracts. “We are progressively adding to our leadership team to ensure that we have the resources in place to support intensive project activities, which are supported by best-in-class quality, risk and cost control construction man- agement systems.” As part of its repositioning strategy, the com- pany underwent a name change from Multikon to MK Africa in the fourth quarter of 2014. Venter says this is a more accurate reflection of MK Africa’s future business focus in both local and cross-border work. New opportunities

Working across the mining and industrial sectors as a niche civil engineering contractor, MK Africa has been instru- mental in establishing key infrastructure on a number of greenfield and brownfield projects in South Africa since the company’s formation ten years ago.

M ajor growth in recent years has been spurred by a series of contracts within the East- ern Limb of the Bushveld Complex, predominantly in the Steelpoort and Burgersfort areas, where there has been significant expansion in the platinum metals sector. “Around 70 % of our work is for the mining segment, which in addition to civils includes building if this is part of the greater contract. Over time, projects have grown in complexity and provided opportunities for us to offer flex- ible engineering solutions,” explains MK Africa contracts director Gerhard van Schalkwyk, who along with company founder and contracts director, Hannes Venter, leads this multi-fac- eted business. MK Africa has a satellite office in Lydenburg to support its Mpumalanga

Centre: One of MK Africa’s Cat 329D L hydraulic excavators at the base of a ventilation shaft construction project at Bokoni mine. Below: From left to right are MK Africa contracts directors Gerhard van Schalkwyk and Hannes Venter, together with Barloworld Equipment Cat sales professional, Molly Breton.

18  MODERN MINING  June 2015