Mine excursion
About 70 000 tonnes of coal will be produced monthly; the rest is overburden and waste. The
project has a life of about six years, with no potential for expansion.
6m to 12m. Below Seam Two is a
well-developed Seam One, which
is from 2.3m to 3.5m thick. “On top,
there is an area where Seam Three
occurs. It pinches out to the north and
that seam thickness is on average about
3.5m,” says Meyer. The focus of mining
will be on Seam Two.
Chilwavhusiku will be a truck and
shovel operation. Stefanutti has two
90-ton Caterpillar excavators on site,
which they use for the stripping and the
loading of material. In addition, there
are 12 Caterpillar 974 articulated dump
trucks (ADTs) and a small 32-ton
excavator for digging water trenches in
the pit and for cleaning ADT buckets,
as the clay soil sticks to the bucket.
According to Meyer, what is at
the top of his priority list now is the
quality management of the coal that
is mined and delivered to Eskom, as
BRM has to ensure that the coal meets
the specifications of the client. In-pit
management of the coal seams and
[16] MINING MIRROR APRIL 2018
the run of mine stockpile management
will be vital. Based on its geological
information, BRM is confident it will
meet the quality specifications.
On an exploration drive
Chilwavhusiku will be the first of
many assets owned by BRM. Mareda
is ambitious and intends building an
African mining giant. Community
development features high on his list
of priorities but, “equally important is
our business strategy,” he tells Mining
Mirror.
“Our business strategy combines
future mining acquisitions and having
another operating mine within the next
12–24 months, as well as exploring
export opportunities. These will allow
us to diversify risk and increase earning
potential,” says Mareda.
Mareda has identified significant
potential for junior miners. He says
while junior mining in South Africa
is still in its infancy compared to its
first-world counterparts and is heavily
affected by several factors such as
access to capital and regulatory policy,
he believes that the Mineral and
Petroleum Resources Development
Act (MPRDA) Amendment Bill
will position the junior sector for
growth and development by easing
requirements for small mining
companies, creating more opportunities
and alleviating the historical
bottlenecking of this industry.
As with most junior miners, BRM
has been faced with several regulatory
challenges. These have pushed BRM
and the Makole Group to think
laterally by being entrepreneurially
creative in combining their aspirations
in the mining sector with group
capabilities to grow the bottom line and
safeguard the business for continued
sustainability.
Public sector support is equally
imperative as regulatory support
and legislators are better positioned