Modern Mining September 2022

COVER STORY

Preparing for the shift in shaft sinking The South African mining landscape has changed dramatically since the 1980s, both literally and figuratively. Driven by high commodity prices, up to 16 mining shafts were being sunk simultaneously across the country in the ‘90s and 2000s. Between the Shaft Sinkers company at the time and many of the current management team, UMS was involved with more than half of these shaft projects.

W hile the mining industry still contributes substantially to the country’s economic pro duction, the downswing that followed the mining peak was reflected in the number of shafts being sunk. Currently, there are few new shaft projects in the country, but demand for battery min erals is prompting a surge of studies for new shaft developments, the company reports. “Companies looking to expand their operations or extend the productive life of ageing mines have increased their requests for shaft studies and audits,” says Takalani Randima, MD of UMS Shaft Sinkers. “We have seen an increase in requests for shaft stud ies, and while this is an exciting time in the industry, we also have to be fully prepared for the upswing. “A lot of shafts were sunk in South Africa 10-20

Currently, there are only a few new shaft projects in the country.

years ago, but as the industry slowed down, the country’s shaft sinking skills moved on, emigrated or retired,” says Randima. “Consequently, there is a gap between the skilled older generation, and training of the younger generation in shaft sinking and mine development.” To close this gap, UMS embarked on a drive to re-establish the best design and shaft sinking team in the country, consisting of shaft sinking experts, draughts people and engineers that can continue the company’s shaft sinking and mine development legacy. “We are actively employing younger people to close the skills gap between generations, so the skills are not lost with the ‘veterans’,” says Randima. “We have created an unmatched team of people to execute projects. Between them, they have excellent design skills, can design the shafts and projects, and have shaft sinking skills with a depth of talent.” Alongside the recruitment drive, UMS has launched accredited in-house training and graduate programmes for mining and process engineers, and is collaborating with universities and other compa nies in the industry to promote the skills required for shaft sinking and underground mining. “We are also committed to closing the gap on the ground by offering artisan training on site at our proj ects, in line with the government’s focus on social and labour plans (SLPs) for the mining industry,” says Randima. Skills transfer is a key company objective in all the projects it undertakes. In Botswana, where UMS has

A lot of shafts were sunk in South Africa 10-20 years ago.

8  MODERN MINING  September 2022