Modern Mining September 2018

MINING News

Nokeng launches R17 million training centre

The Nokeng site showing main stockpile construction, with thickeners, float plant and mills to the left.

From the mine’s state-of-the art con- centrator, around 180 000 tonnes a year of acid grade fluorspar and 30 000 tonnes a year of metallurgical grade fluorspar will be produced. Production costs are expected to be in the bottom quartile of producers interna- tionally, largely because of the high grade and easy accessibility of the orebodies. 

As Nokeng Fluorspar Mine’s R1,7 billion mine and concentrator at Rust de Winter, north-east of Pretoria, reaches 70 % com- pletion, a new, on-site training centre – fully funded by the company – was offi- cially opened in August this year. More than 2 500 men and women from 10 local communities are expected to receive training in skills such as boiler-mak- ing, fitting, welding and community house building over the next 10 years at the Mining Qualifications Authority-accredited Dr Lelau Mohuba Training Centre. Nokeng’s flagship Social and Labour Plan (SLP) project, the 2 400 m 2 train- ing centre was built and equipped in just seven months at a cost of R17 million. Tuition, study materials, transport, work clothing and personal protection equip- ment totalling R36 000 per trainee will be provided free of charge by the company during the life of the mine. Some 56 trainees are already enrolled in various training courses and will be pri- oritised for permanent employment by Nokeng once qualified. Said to be the first new mine to be developed in Gauteng in the last 12 years, Nokeng – now over 12 months into devel- opment – is on time andwithin budget. First

production is expected in February 2019. Nokeng has a 12 Mt, SAMREC- compliant reserve – which is large by current international standards – and an estimated 19-year life-of-mine. Some 630 000 tonnes of ore containing approxi- mately 27 % calcium fluoride will be mined annually from surface and near-surface, initially from two deposits.

The 2 400 m 2 training centre was built and equipped in just seven months at a cost of R17 million.

12  MODERN MINING  September 2018