Among the projects featured in this issue are two in West Africa. One is the Yaouré gold project in Côte d’Ivoire, which will be the third mine of Perseus Mining, and the other is the Tongo diamond project of Newfield Resources in Sierra Leone. Both are now into the construction phase. We also have coverage of the recent Africa Mining Summit in Gaborone, as well as an in-depth article on a rockfall protection solution at Foskor’s open-pit mine in Phalaborwa.
Our special feature this month is on health and safety in mining, Companies covered include Booyco Electronics, which earlier this year introduced the fourth generation of its Proximity Detection System (PDS), and Jet Demolition, which offers a turnkey solution to the risks presented by disused mine shafts.
Comment: SA Mining – an industry in transition
PwC has released the latest edition of SA Mine, its annual review highlighting trends in the South African mining industry. One point to emerge from the review is that the mining sector in South Africa is in transition from a deep level, labour intensive, conventional mining environment to a mechanised shallower, technologically advanced industry. Read more …
All-modular build solution to be adopted for Molo
TSX-listed NextSource Materials has reported the results of a Feasibility Study (FS) on its Molo graphite project in Madagascar. The FS envisages a highly modular approach to the project, with the processing plant consisting of 35 modules to be built offshore. Read more …
New-look Worley a global leader in mining
In our cover story, we talk to two senior Worley executives, Nick Bell and Denver Dreyer, who point out that the recent Jacobs ECR acquisition has resulted in Worley now having a mining business that is probably without equal in the world in terms of capacity and capability. Read more …
Yaouré project well into the development phase
Perseus Mining is moving fast to develop its third gold mine, Yaouré in Côte d’Ivoire, and reports that the project is largely on course to meet the ‘stretch target’ of pouring its first gold in December 2020. As at the end of the September quarter this year, US$135 million of the total capital budget of US$265 million had been committed. Read more …
Africa’s miners meet in Gaborone
The fifth annual Africa Mining Summit was held in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, in September this year. It attracted over 250 delegates from around Africa, including Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Mining and senior officials from 14 African countries. Read more …
Progress at Tongo diamond project on multiple fronts
Australian company Newfield Resources has completed the drilling, blasting and excavation of the boxcut which will give access to its planned underground mine at Tongo in eastern Sierra Leone, which will exploit the Kundu and Lando kimberlites. Based on current reserves, the mine will produce 1,1 Mct over its initial eight-year life. Read more …
Rockfall protection solution proves itself at open-pit mine
A rockfall protection solution at Foskor’s open-pit mine in Phalaborwa was put to the test earlier this year when it successfully handled a fall of ground incident involving about 20 tons of material. The system was devised and installed by Marshall Developments with assistance from Maccaferri. Read more …
Move to ‘digital mining’ picks up pace
With margins under increasing pressure, mines need to find more efficient – and safer – ways of extracting ore and are now actively seeking out digital solutions. This is the view of senior Sandvik executives, Niel McCoy, Andre Blom and Saltiel Pule, who recently sat down with Modern Mining to discuss developments in this fast-moving field. Read more …
FEATURE: HEALTH AND SAFETY IN MINING
Booyco’s fourth generation PDS sets new benchmarks
The pace of change in the PDS (Proximity Detection System) business has been exponential over the past couple of years in terms of technology and customer expectations. This is the view of Anton Lourens, founder and MD of Booyco Electronics, a Jet Park-based company which is thought to be the PDS market leader in South Africa. Read more …
Minerals Council pursues the goal of Zero Harm
The Minerals Council South Africa has formally launched the Khumbul’ekhaya initiative, a CEO-led strategy on health and safety, developed and led by the Minerals Council CEO Zero Harm Forum. The aim of the initiative is to drive and sustain the mining industry’s pursuit of Zero Harm, with a particular emphasis on eliminating fatalities. Read more …
Jet Demolition secures redundant mine shafts
Disused shafts are a major problem for South African mining companies; apart from the safety hazards they present, they can also be used by illegal miners to access underground mine workings. To counter the risks they pose, demolition specialist Jet Demolition is offering a turnkey service that allows problem shafts to be permanently sealed. Read more …
ConCourt ruling boosts the use of saliva testing
With the ConCourt having ruled last year that the personal use of cannabis is legal, employers need to be able to screen employees to ensure that the effects of cannabis consumption are not carried over into the workplace. According to ALCO-Safe, its Oratect saliva test provides the ideal solution. Read more …
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