MINE EXCURSION
"The country has
become just another
troubled jurisdiction, with the
same deposits and the same
risks, but under the illusion
that it is still superior.
Tim Archer, director of Reid Geophysics.
Tim Archer, director of Reid Geophysics, told African Mining in
an exclusive interview, that the survey included a combination
of technically attractive features, in particular tight line spacing
that created excellent data resolution.
Archer said the results of these surveys are extremely positive,
but that a long road is still ahead for the mining industry to find
its feet again in a country rich in diamonds, bauxite and rutile.
Countries like the DRC, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and
Senegal (the list goes on) are making great discoveries and have
done a lot to attract foreign investment. Many companies would
rather do business in countries like Ghana, Senegal or even the
DRC than in South Africa.
According to Karl Smithson, CEO of Sierra Diamonds, and a
veteran explorer in Sierra Leone, this is a game changer for the
country. Sierra Diamonds’ Tongo mines are in the final stages
Mark Bristow, CEO and president of global giant Barrick Gold,
has on numerous occasions said that he would not do any
exploration work in South Africa. While Canadian, Australian,
Chinese, Russian, Turkish, Indian, and yes, even some South
African junior miners and exploration companies flock to make
the next big discovery elsewhere in Africa, the South African
government, despite its commitment to attract exploration
companies, has not done so.
The bottom line is that there are much better opportunities
north of the Zambezi River. South Africa has dropped from
the radar and no matter how President Cyril Ramaphosa and
Minister Mantashe try to spin themselves out of a tight situation,
investors have lost faith.
Sierra Leone’s geophysical survey
The Mining Indaba is a wonderful event about mining in Africa,
and that’s where the focus should be. It was thus encouraging
to have a speaker from elsewhere in Africa delivering his speech
after Mantashe’s address. President Julius Bio from Sierra Leone
invited foreign companies to invest in Sierra Leone, which
boasts great deposits of diamonds, bauxite, rutile, iron ore, gold,
and even traces of platinum.
A first of its kind geophysical survey was recently conducted in
Sierra Leone and could change the fortunes in a country first
ravaged by civil war and then by the Ebola virus.
The survey was flown by South African company Xcalibur
Airborne Geophysics, with supervision and quality control
provided by UK-based Reid Geophysics, and survey design by
Geofocus, another South African outfit.
www. africanmining.co.za
African Mining Publication
African Mining
African Mining March 2020
15