Mine excursion
Alphamin’s announcement coincided with a
renewed interest in tin because of it being a
substitute for lead solder in electronics and as
a catalyst for new technologies, mostly part
of the ‘green revolution’. Tin was back on the
world map.
AfriTin’s consolidation drive
A South African outfit, AfriTin, headed by
Anthony Viljoen, started mopping up scattered
tin deposits in the southern African region.
The central regions of Namibia, especially in
and around the old mine workings of Iscor in
Uis, was high on AfriTin’s bucket list. What
they found was a massive deposit, lower in
grade than at Bisie, but covering an area two
or three times as large. Although Iscor did a
good job of getting to some of the tin, they
left easy pickings, and AfriTin has latched
onto it. Moreover, the pegmatite belt, which
hosts the tin, stretches much further than Uis
and its surrounds. In fact, geological surveys
have shown that it continues for more than
100km in a south-westerly direction towards
the town of Henties Bay on the coast. What’s
more is that the belt doesn’t only host tin, but
high concentrations of tantalum and lithium as
well, which, according to forecasters, will play
an increasingly important role in the future, as
new battery and renewable energy solutions
are developed.
www.miningmirror.co.za
AfriTin’s pilot plant at the Uis Mine in Namibia.
MAY 2019 MINING MIRROR [15]