Mine excursion
new TCM access road now opens up the
OI block for mining and extending the
life of Leeuwpan Coal Mine, resulting
in significant investment and economic
growth for the Delmas area,” says Nombasa
Tsengwa, executive head: coal operations.
Communication key to
success
According to Mangaliso Sethethi, business
unit manager at Exxaro, communication
with the Delmas community was key to the
success of the Leeuwpan project. “As with
any sound project, success can only be built
on a solid foundation. In this instance, it
was dialogue,” says Sethethi.
“An early appointment to the project
team was a dedicated stakeholder manager
who discussed the employment and
procurement opportunities available to the
community, thereby allowing them to buy
into the project before it took its first steps,”
explains Sethethi.
At peak, 343 people were employed,
with 70% recruited from the Delmas
community. To date, direct capital spend
from the life extension project, which
include the box cut and road diversions,
amounted to R280-million, with 31%
spent in the Delmas community. Further
benefits will accrue in the next stage of the
project, which includes building homes for
residents who have been relocated.
According to Nico Pretorius, CEO
of Jodan Construction, communication
with the contractors on site was another
As with any sound project, success
can only be built on a solid foundation.
In this instance, it was dialogue.
reason why the project was completed
before deadline. “The urgency united us as
one team working towards one outcome.
We knew that the life of the mine — and
people’s livelihoods — depended on us
moving and repositioning the roads in time
and we aligned all the construction goals
with this one big Exxaro goal,” he adds.
At peak construction, with 171 people
and up to 80 pieces of plant on site, the
project took logistics management to the
next level. “Exxaro’s involvement in their
projects is on point,” says Pretorius. “At
any minute of the day, they knew what
was happening on site and if anything
threatened the progress, they stepped in
to help. We never felt that we were just a
contractor, but rather part of a team.
This support played a major part in the
success.”
Little room for error
Theunie Visagie, a senior representative of
JG Afrika, the company responsible for the
design of the road, agrees that while the
project was more challenging than normal
due to the time constraints and traversing a
wetland, Exxaro’s constant cooperation and
willingness to find solutions helped them
finish the project within the timeframe.
Daily meetings and visible leadership added
further support.
“Both the contracting and engineering,
as well as Exxaro’s project teams, were
working to an extremely tight deadline
with very little room for error. Our client
needed to access the additional 5.1-million
tons of coal reserves by the end of 2018
to avoid closure in 2019. However, delays
in obtaining a wayleave from the relevant
provincial authority delayed the start
Typical culvert on precast slabs.
www.miningmirror.co.za
MARCH 2019 MINING MIRROR [15]