From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.

Sashnee Moodley:

Diverse mineral supplier OMV in September launched its new Valkenburgh milling facility at its plant in Witbank, Mpumalanga. Tasneem Bulbulia explains.

Tasneem Bulbulia:

The company’s Witbank’s site was previously a storage and trans fill operation of bentonite and has now been expanded to process and mill industrial minerals. OMV Stilfontein operations manager Rousseau van der Merwe explains how the facility was conceptualised and implemented, what it would offer, and his role in this.   

OMV Stilfontein operations manager Rousseau van der Merwe:

Tasneem Bublulia:

Van der Merwe also touches on the geographical advantage of the mill, and how many people it would employ.

OMV Stilfontein operations manager Rousseau van der Merwe:

Sashnee Moodley:

Nearly a year after commissioning, Pan African’s Mogale tailings retreatment operation, in Mogale City, looks back on the success of the project, which has been critical to local community development and environmental mitigation. Natasha Odendaal tells us more.

Natasha Odendaal:

In 2022, Pan African Resources acquired the asset from the liquidators of Mintails, and immediately embarked on the construction of the MTR, investing R2.5-billion to develop the plant that would ultimately process tailings from dumps.

By October 3, 2024, the MTR was commissioned within 14 months – two months ahead of schedule – and R100-million under budget, and by December 2024, the operations had ramped up to full production of 800 000 t/m.

Mogale tailings retreatment GM Oriel Shikwambana:

Natasha Odendaal:

About 1 600 people were employed during the construction phase, with over 1 000 from the local community. Currently, there are 700 people on site – 200 are permanent employees, with the balance a split between.

In addition to environmental benefits of processing the tailings, the company’s social and labour plan and investments into schools and local community development projects, besides others, are having far-reaching local benefits and promoting local enterprise development.

Mogale tailings retreatment GM Oriel Shikwambana:

Sashnee Moodley:

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy. Don’t forget to listen to the audio version of our Engineering News daily email newsletter.