Modern Mining June 2015

COVER STORY

base in mining

record to date,” points out van Schalkwyk. “On past and existing contracts, we have not had a lost time injury over the past 24 months. This is an achievement that has been recognised and valued by our clients.” A Level 2 BEE contributor, MK Africa’s black-owned partner is Sizwe Construction, domiciled in Burgersfort. These companies are currently working in joint venture on a tailings dam rehabilitation and environmental closure project for Nkomati Nickel. This is a six-month contract, which commenced in May 2015. Concrete innovators: Brakfontein ventilation shafts “One of MK Africa’s competitive edges is in concrete technology and we pride ourselves on working with clients to develop innovative solutions,” says Venter. On a past raise-bore shaft project at Bokoni platinum mine, MK Africa played a key role in fast-tracking the construction programme on behalf of the drilling operators. In conjunction with Greene Consulting Engineers, MK Africa developed an incre- mental precast concrete system that saved significantly on bulk earthworks costs, and

are being explored regionally, with a contract pending in Botswana. Supporting the company’s growth has been an ongoing investment in mechanised solu- tions, which includes readymix trucks, concrete batch plants and a well-stocked formwork yard for concrete activities. The earthmoving fleet encompasses 10 m³ tippers and contains a core Cat component for tasks ranging from haul road construction to mass excavations, layer works, dozing and mine stockpile man- agement. Recent acquisitions include Cat 140K graders, Cat 329D L hydraulic excavators, as well as the latest generation Cat 938K medium wheel loader. (Cat units are supplied and sup- ported by Caterpillar’s Southern African dealer, Barloworld Equipment.) The Plant company operates as a separate division within the MK Africa Group. A Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) 7 CE contractor, MK Africa targets proj- ects in the R5 million to R50 million range with its business philosophy centred on three core values, namely safety, cost, and quality. “Our ability to grow our relationships with existing mining houses and industrial clients has been fostered by our exceptional safety

Below: MK Africa has completed a number of projects entailing the installation of steel tunnel extensions to boxcuts to facilitate mechanised mining.

June 2015  MODERN MINING  19