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MODERN MINING
January 2015
PLATINUM
T
o mark the intersection of the
Merensky Reef, Wesizwe hosted
a visit to the mine by a media
group (including
Modern Mining
)
which was taken down the ven-
tilation shaft in a kibble to view the progress
being made by the shaft sinkers, Aveng Min-
ing – Shafts & Underground. The media tour
was hosted by BPM’s General Manager, Ed-
die Mohlabi, who joined Wesizwe in April
2013 from AngloGold Ashanti where he was
Bakubung shaft sinking
runs
Looking up the ventilation shaft from the kibble towards the
sinking stage (photo: Arthur Tassell).
Eddie Mohlabi, GM of the Bakubung
PlatinumMine.
Wesizwe Platinum, which is developing the Bakubung Platinum
Mine (BPM) on the Western Limb of the Bushveld Complex north
of Rustenburg in the Sun City area, achieved another milestone in
early December (2014) when the mine’s ventilation shaft intersected
the Merensky Reef at a depth of 725 m below collar. Sinking of both
the ventilation and main shafts is now well ahead of the original
programme, with the 8,5 m diameter main shaft expected to reach its
full depth of 970 m in November this year, 55 days ahead of forecast,
and the 7,5 m diameter ventilation shaft its full depth of 880 m in
September 2016, 144 days ahead of schedule.