Mine excursion
Although South Africa hosts the biggest platinum group metal ( PGM ) deposits on earth , it is not always an easy task getting it to surface . Most of the country ’ s platinum mines are renowned for their difficult working conditions . Narrow veins , uneven surfaces , tricky geology , and at times atrocious ground conditions , await miners as they venture into the marrow of the Bushveld Igneous Complex , a geological phenomenon if ever there was one . However , Sibanye-Stillwater ’ s Bathopele Mine , close to Rustenburg in the North West Province , is an exception . The mine is fully mechanised , and it is arguably the most advanced platinum mine in the industry .
To enter an underground platinum mine with a shuttle car via a decline shaft compared to descending a 3km-deep gold mine in an overcrowded cage , is like comparing first class with economy class . Although the drive down Bathopele ’ s shaft could be regarded as luxurious in terms of accessing underground mines , it is still an experience worth remembering . To lie on your back , caged in next to two colleagues , watching the hanging wall flash by millimetres from your nose and from the front end of your hard hat , makes for an exhilarating adventure .
The rumble of a powerful diesel engine descending a steep slope , and its distinct fumes , clogs your ability to comprehend the intricate geology of the Bushveld Igneous Complex , even while you are staring at it . Trying to find the best position to negotiate the bumps , and at the same time attempting not to bump your head in the process , is the best way to describe the state of affairs on the way to chief mine overseer Herman Steyn ’ s Section 10E , in East Shaft . Sibanye-Stillwater ’ s management team will be familiar with this conundrum as the number of challenges that now confront this mining giant mounts , but at the same time , more opportunities present itself .
Benefits of mechanisation
Nevertheless , Sibanye-Stillwater has done a sterling job at Bathopele since taking over the operation from Anglo Platinum ( AngloPlat ). Bathopele forms part of what was once AngloPlats ’ Rustenburg operations . Sibanye-Stillwater acquired the Rustenburg mines from AngloPlats in 2016 in a deal worth more than R4.5-billion .
The Rustenburg operations are north-east of Rustenburg and Kroondal , 123km west of Pretoria , and just more than 150km north-west of Johannesburg . The lease area covers about 360km ² ( 30km from east to west and 12km from north to south ). The Rustenburg complex consists of three operating vertical shafts : Siphumelele , Khuseleka and Thembelani , which use conventional mining methods , and Bathopele , which is a mechanised operation . Bathopele started producing PGMs in late 2000 .
At a time when the mining industry is desperately trying to modernise , Bathopele is a good case study of a mechanised platinum mine , which many pundits believe is not possible in South Africa , considering the
Bathopele has a vibrating feeder grizzly on its tip with an aperture of about 30cm . The LHD dumps the material after a blast , and the fines ( referred to as ‘ stof ’), which is normally the reef , will fall through the grizzly onto the pan , while the big rocks ( the waste ) will remain on the grizzly .
[ 20 ] MINING MIRROR SEPTEMBER 2018