In the stope
not having the mining experience.
The main issue, however, remains
funding. As we have seen in South
Af rica, political uncertainties
can become a major constraint.
Funding is a huge challenge and
it becomes worse when there
are political risks and political
uncertainties in the country in
which you operate. We need
foreign investment; the more
foreign investment we get, the
faster we can move forward in this
country. With the political changes
taking place, we have renewed
hope about our country’s outlook;
we are optimistic that this change
will make this country successful.
Are we going to see a new
mine for BRM in 2018?
We are planning a lot for 2018.
We have got a few projects that
are in well-advanced stages. We
are hoping to bring a new project
online towards the latter stages of
2018 or early in 2019.
[30] MINING MIRROR APRIL 2018
Will it also be a coal project?
There are two projects we are busy
working on. The one is in iron ore
and manganese, and the other is in
the coal space.
Are these projects based in
South Africa?
Yes, both projects are in South
Africa. We are also looking at
Zimbabwe, considering the positive
political developments that have
been taking place in that country.
If the Zimbabweans can get their
house in order and make the
environment conducive for foreign
investment, and indeed with extra
resources, we should be able to move
into countries like Zimbabwe. There
are many exploration opportunities
in Zimbabwe.
You went to Kenya recently; is
there any particular reason?
I do not want to go into too much
detail, but Kenya looks attractive. We
are very positive about East Africa
and particularly Kenya. I know there
has been a few issues regarding the
politics, but we are still very positive
about the country. The labour force is
educated and competent, and if the
political environment is as conducive
as we believe it is, and if it gives
certainty to the investors, we are
heading to Kenya, there is no doubt.
What is the ultimate goal?
We are nowhere close to where
we eventually want to be. BRM
really wants to make a meaningful
contribution and wants to make
this a huge company. Most of the
majors are old companies and
they started out small. There once
was a person with a vision that
created these companies, and this
is the story we need to tell. That
we are on the journey to make
this a mining giant — an African
mining giant, with a story that
does not talk about privilege, but
that appreciates the diversity of the
country and the continent. b