The Civil Engineering Contractor April 2019 | Page 19

ON SITE
Chemical plant
In addition to the mine and processing
facility near Rust de Winter,
SepFluor also plans to construct a
chemical plant in Bronkhorstspruit,
which will beneficiate the product
produced at the mine. Construction
of the chemical plant is expected
to start within the next two years.
Nokeng Mine’s premium product
will be acidspar, the key ingredient
www.civilsonline.co.za
in the manufacturing of hydrofluoric
acid and a precursor to almost all
fluorine compounds, including
pharmaceuticals such as fluoxetine,
diverse materials such as PTFE, and
elemental fluorine itself.
“Our plan has always been to
develop the beneficiation of
fluorspar by means of constructing
a chemical plant that is currently in
a bankable feasibility stage (BFS),
to establish the financial and the
technical requirements. We would
then take the fluorspar produced at
the Nokeng Mine and process it, in
order to produce hydrofluoric acid,
which is a very valuable commodity
and a key ingredient of all fluorspar
products that are manufactured
worldwide,” explained Nokeng
Mine’s project director, Johan Brits.
The building of the Dr Lelau
Mohuba Training Centre at Nokeng
Mine has been as impressive as
the other construction work on
site. As part of the mine’s SLP,
the 2 400m² building was built
and equipped in just seven months
at a cost of R17-million. More
than 2 500 men and women from
the nine local communities are
expected to receive training in
skills such as boilermaker/welder
aide, fitter aide, electrician aide,
and community house-building over
the next 10 years at the Mining
Qualifications Authority-accredited
Dr Lelau Mohuba Training Centre.
Tuition, study materials, transport,
work clothing, and personal
protective equipment totalling
roughly R36 000 per trainee will
be provided (free of charge) by the
Nokeng Fluorspar Mine during the
life of the mine. Some 56 trainees
have already completed the various
training courses and approximately
half of these have been taken
up in permanent employment on
the mine.
Those not employed on the mine will
be equipped to find work elsewhere
having both practical skills and a formal
qualification that is sought after in the
labour market. nn
Magugu Mvula, Group 5 general
manager – SA.
last week (December 2018) at
1 100 with most of the civil crews
demobilised.”
There were nine communities
involved in the project, all of them
wanting to benefit from the Nokeng
Mine. To manage this, Nokeng
established an Engagement Forum
to manage all communications and
expectations. The Nokeng project
has recognised communities within
a 25km radius, although the Social
and Labour Plan guidelines are vague
on this subject, says Wagner, who
notes that some communities (as far
away as 100km) initially sought to be
included.
Nokeng has employed as many
local community workers as
possible and required every
contractor to follow suit. There was
little disruption to construction,
with only a minor two-day stoppage
due to HR practices at the joint
venture contractor. Wagner says
there are a number of ‘business
forums’ that have been the cause
of disruptions on many contractor
sites around the country, but
Nokeng’s policy is to deal only with
authorised representatives through
the Engagement Forum.
“We put as much contact work
back into these communities as
possible and a major portion of
the construction of the Dr Lelau
Mohuba Training Centre was done
by community businesses. Once
the mine is operational, there will
be long-term contracts for the
community for services such as
security and cleaning, as well as
supplies of material into the mine.”
Rob Wagner, CEO of SepFluor Limited,
at Outwash Fan, with the mine’s
process plant and related infrastructure
in the distance.
Professional team
Client:
SepFluor
Main contractor:
Group Five and DRA
Architect:
DRA
Quantity surveyor:
DRA
Geotechnical and piling:
DRA
CEC April 2019 | 17