Modern Mining October 2020

mining area will be used for cattle and game farm- ing by a local farmer. “We have acquired the land portion on which the proposed pit will be located. The reserve consists of a total of 1-million tonnes (t) of run of mine (ROM) and will produce and process 30 000 t of ROM per month,” says Mkhabela, add- ing that the project has an expected three-and-a-half years life of mine (LoM). He, however, believes that there is scope to grow the company’s manganese portfolio in the region, given that East Manganese is located in the man- ganese rich Kalahari Basin, which is host to 80% of the world’s manganese ore bodies. “We are always looking at opportunities. As a financially and tech- nically sound company, we have the flexibility that enables us to take advantage of any opportunities that may present themselves. We will be certainly looking for new opportunities in the area to grow our manganese and bulk commodities portfolio,” says Mkhabela. During the second week of July, the project team started grading the entrance road. The first box cut was opened on 4 September 2020. “Our mining services team has made immense progress in preparing the mining site. Among the achievements so far is the clearing of crush/ screen area, grading of all internal mine roads to suit expected mine activity. The haul road and run- of-mine/product area construction will commence soon, once competent material becomes available from the opencast pit,” says Mkhabela. The final mine plan has been completed and the perimeters of the pit and dumps have been cleared. The full mining fleet complement will be on site by the end of October. Due to the conical shape of the proposed pit, explains Mkhabela, it will take approximately seven to eight months to reach first ore, after which steady production will be achieved. “Due to the depth and footprint of the ore, he says, which is situated about 50 m below surface at the bottom of the pit, we cannot apply conventional strip mining, hence the conical shape with a ramp down to the ore. “The initial phase will see us opening up a boxcut down to ore using load and haul mining processes and then waste material will be hauled to the waste stockpile area, which will be used at later stages for

mine rehabilitation purposes,” he explains. A dry crushing and screening plant will be oper- ated on site. “A major advantage of using a dry crushing and screening plant is that it will reduce water requirements and limit pressure on local water sources. An additional benefit of a dry crush/screen process is that there won’t be any need for a slurry handling facility. Products will include both lumpy (85%) and fine material (15%),”adds Mkhabela. The mining fleet will consist of three production teams, each comprising one 75-t excavator and three 40-t articulated dump trucks (ADTs). In addi- tion, there will also be two bulldozers that will be utilised for bench preparations, dump management as well as rehabilitation; one grader for road, loading and dump area maintenance; three front-end-load- ers for product loading and a water bowser for dust suppression on site. After a six-month period, adds Mkhabela, a fourth mining team, utilising one excavator and three ADTs, will be added on a temporary basis in order to accel- erate the ramp up to first ore and to assist with civil construction (contractor yard, RoM pad, plant area and product pad). Meanwhile, Menar has recently upgraded the existing access road linking the mine to the main road which will allow the haulage of its ore to the nearby Transnet Freight Rail line that is dedicated to manganese transport. The manganese will then be railed to the Port Elizabeth harbour for export. “Transnet has increased its ability to rail manganese destined for the export market. This is really encour- aging for investors,” says Mkhabela.

First load from the box cut at East Manganese.

The mining fleet will consist of three production teams, each comprising one 75-t excavator and three 40-t articulated dump trucks.

October 2020  MODERN MINING  23