21 / 68
COVER STORY
June 2015
MODERN MINING
19
base in mining
Below:
MK Africa has
completed a number of
projects entailing the
installation of steel tunnel
extensions to boxcuts to
facilitate mechanised
mining.
are being explored regionally, with a contract
pending in Botswana.
Supporting the company’s growth has been
an ongoing investment in mechanised solu-
tions, which includes readymix trucks, concrete
batch plants and a well-stocked formwork
yard for concrete activities. The earthmoving
fleet encompasses 10 m³ tippers and contains
a core Cat component for tasks ranging from
haul road construction to mass excavations,
layer works, dozing and mine stockpile man-
agement. Recent acquisitions include Cat 140K
graders, Cat 329D L hydraulic excavators, as
well as the latest generation Cat 938K medium
wheel loader. (Cat units are supplied and sup-
ported by Caterpillar’s Southern African dealer,
Barloworld Equipment.)
The Plant company operates as a separate
division within the MK Africa Group.
A Construction Industry Development Board
(CIDB) 7 CE contractor, MK Africa targets proj-
ects in the R5 million to R50 million range with
its business philosophy centred on three core
values, namely safety, cost, and quality.
“Our ability to grow our relationships with
existing mining houses and industrial clients
has been fostered by our exceptional safety
record to date,” points out van Schalkwyk. “On
past and existing contracts, we have not had a
lost time injury over the past 24 months. This
is an achievement that has been recognised and
valued by our clients.”
A Level 2 BEE contributor, MK Africa’s
black-owned partner is Sizwe Construction,
domiciled in Burgersfort. These companies are
currently working in joint venture on a tailings
dam rehabilitation and environmental closure
project for Nkomati Nickel. This is a six-month
contract, which commenced in May 2015.
Concrete innovators: Brakfontein ventilation
shafts
“One of MK Africa’s competitive edges is in
concrete technology and we pride ourselves
on working with clients to develop innovative
solutions,” says Venter.
On a past raise-bore shaft project at Bokoni
platinum mine, MK Africa played a key role in
fast-tracking the construction programme on
behalf of the drilling operators.
In conjunction with Greene Consulting
Engineers, MK Africa developed an incre-
mental precast concrete system that saved
significantly on bulk earthworks costs, and