Clients in the platinum group metals (PGMs) and chrome sectors continue to hold a significant market share for opencast mining, bulk materials handling, and drilling and blasting services provider Zizwe Opencast Mining, which reports that the sectors account for about 90% of its business.

This demonstrates the company’s strong presence and specialisation in these critical sectors, underlining its expertise and reliability in serving major players in the PGM and chrome industries, says social responsibility and strategic director André Pruis.

He attributes Zizwe’s ongoing support from these sectors to the company’s focus on continual engagement, and hands-on relationship with its small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) in the PGM and chrome sectors.

“Engagement with SMMEs helps us offer collaborative and innovative solutions to our clients all the while maintaining good relations within the communities we work in,” notes Pruis.

Beyond its regulatory responsibilities related to stakeholder development, Zizwe was founded on mutually-beneficial partnerships, with a goal to “pay it forward” by creating similar opportunities for others, he adds.

“We offer collaborative and innovative solutions to our clients,” says Pruis, adding that the success of Zizwe is a testament to the value of these partnerships.

He explains SMMEs often face challenges with consistency and cash flow management, leading to their stagnant business performance.

“SMMEs often struggle to access proper financial institutions and integrations and often lack the necessary education to deliver on their promises effectively,” adds Pruis.

Zizwe addresses these challenges by hosting workshops and regular interactive sessions with SMMEs to resolve issues and identify growth opportunities.

Further, depending on the circumstances, Zizwe assists with supplier development through interest-free loans, equipment and other suitable resources, along with training and mentoring.

In addition, Zizwe supports SMMEs by helping them implement human resources policies and assists with budgeting and planning through partnerships with service providers.

Giving Back

“Our community engagement strategy focuses on the development of SMMEs and local communities, job creation, and the economic development of local doorstep and host communities,” says Pruis.

He explains that Zizwe assists in the formation of tri-party agreements between the primary client, Zizwe and nearby communities.

This interaction process involves key roleplayers, such as traditional leaders, local communities, business forums and other related stakeholders.

Zizwe’s strategy emphasises skills development and the upliftment of local communities, along with the implementation of corporate social investment projects aimed at benefiting these communities.

Zizwe also undertakes "Carve Out" projects, which involves ring fencing a portion of the contract scope to local SMMEs in an effort to bolster their businesses.

“In these projects, the client pays the SMME directly for the service through a tri-party agreement, while Zizwe manages the SMME to ensure compliance,” he points out.

Examples of these initiatives include the furthering of women-in-mining projects, like that undertaken with woman-owned mining company Busani Mining & Projects, which manages discard and slurry, and dust suppression at the Emalahleni-based iMpunzi Complex – a joint venture between Glencore and African Rainbow Minerals.

Zizwe has provided Busani Mining & Projects with a water bowser, as well as tractor-loader-backhoes and roller-compactors for the project.

Another SMME Zizwe engages with is mining and engineering firm Genlou Industrial Supplies, responsible for train loading; and grader, water bowser and skidsteer operations at a colliery in Pretoria, Gauteng.

Giving to the Community

As part of its community engagement drive, Pruis says Zizwe contributed food to a Youth Day event in June that took place at Kgotla ya Mogopa-wa-Dira, in Phokeng village, in Rustenburg.

“Zizwe has also been integral in providing significant support to the Ga-Mamphaka Creche, in Lwala,” he adds.

The initiative started in the previous financial year with the donation of a shipping container, which was converted into a creche.

In the current financial year, Zizwe has continued its support by supplying additional chairs, tables and water bottles to the creche, thereby fostering the facility's ongoing growth and development.

Zizwe also sponsored a new washing machine and a dryer for laundry services Mhalni & Associates, situated in Witbank, Mpumalanga.

Services on Offer

Zizwe provides its mining clients across Southern Africa with professional services in the fields of opencast contract mining.

“Our turnkey mining services include the establishment of fit-for-purpose mining solutions from detailed mine planning, contract opencast mining, drilling and blasting, crushing and screening, and bulk materials handling, to rehabilitation and final mine closure,” notes Pruis.

He adds that Zizwe’s materials handling services are comprehensive, encompassing the construction and maintenance of discard dumps and ash storage facilities, discard movement and handling, and the dumping and maintaining of co-disposal facilities.

The company also manages general materials handling and movement, including materials movement in and around plants, stockpile maintenance and train loading.

In terms of drilling, Zizwe owns and manages a fleet of drill rigs, consisting of down-the-hole and top hammer drill rigs.

For crushing and screening, Zizwe supplies, operates and maintains mobile, modular, and static crushing and screening plants, with its equipment being suitable for the processing of any commodity in South Africa.

Zizwe’s smelter internal materials handling services include both hot work and cold work. Here, the company deals in handling raw material and internal transport, and performs hot work slag digging and hauling.

In terms of standing ahead of the technology curve, Pruis tells Mining Weekly that a team from the company attended aggregates, minerals processing and metals refining solutions provider Metso’s Lokolaunch event in May, in Tampere, Finland, which helps keep the company at the forefront of mining technology, offering its clients the most efficient innovations and technologies.