Modern Mining September 2022

skills development initiatives that the Crocodile River Mine brings to the area, the company will also unlock numerous opportunities for SMME develop ment through its social and labour plan. The miner is currently involved in numerous education related projects, such as refurbishing classrooms, maintain ing soccer fields, and projects aligned with local municipality initiatives such as providing drinking water to the community, among others. “We are of the view that meaningful contributions to local economic development in the communities surrounding our operation hold the most promise in providing sustainable change. As a result, we have a number of initiatives in place to progress the com munity surrounding the Crocodile River Mine. These include programmes aimed at training and mentor ing SMMEs to help them to become standalone BEE companies able to bid for business with mines in the region. We have ringfenced certain projects that will be tendered to these companies, which will help them grow and expand,” concludes Hanson. 

Left: More than 2.6 mt of chrome concentrate has been produced and shipped to its offtake partner in China. Right: Chrome concentrate.

Platinum mining  South Africa has more than 80% of the world’s platinum reserves, and is the world’s largest producer of platinum group metals.  The platinum mining sector is one of the largest components of South Africa’s mining industry in terms of both employment and export earnings.  Six metals, all of them silvery-white in appearance, make up the suite of platinum group metals (PGMs) – ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), and platinum (Pt).  These metals occur together in PGM-bearing ore.  PGMs are indispensable in many industrial applications including in com puter hard disks, mobile phones and glass, amongst others.  In medical applications PGMs are used in the manufacture of anti-cancer drugs, cardiac treatment, implants and dental applications.  The durability, quality and aesthetic appeal of silvery-white platinum and palladium have for centuries contributed to its appeal in jewellery manufacture.  China accounts for 50% of the world’s platinum jewellery offtake. Because PGMs are highly recyclable, they are used, rather than consumed.

September 2022  MODERN MINING  27