MINERS NEWS MAGAZINE

As 2018 draws to a close, Sandton Central can look back on a remarkable year of highlights. “2018 was a time of growth, improvement and celebration for Sandton Central and those who live, work, invest, shop, stay and play in South Africa’s cosmopolitan centre of commerce and culture. The year wasn’t without its challenges, but it also held many high notes,” says Sandton Central Management District (SCMD) City Improvement Management Elaine Jack. With 2018 marking Madiba’s centenary, several iconic celebrations and events were held in his name in Sandton Central. One that leaves a lasting legacy in the community is the global art-for-change initiative, iMadiba Project, which will expand Sandton Central’s public art urban furniture programme. It will add two new functional art benches to the district, one at Nelson Mandela Square and the other at the JSE. On the business front, a total of 132,400sqm of new office space was constructed in Sandton Central. Among the most significant de

People do business with people they know, like and trust. Building relationships, however, takes time and effort. Even so, relationships are fundamental to growing small businesses, and entrepreneurs should never lose sight of that. At small business accelerator Property Point, a Growthpoint initiative, relationships are considered to be so fundamental for building sustainable small companies that they are one of its three pillars: Risk, Reputation and Relationships. “The obvious relationships that a small business wants to nurture are those with clients, funders, suppliers or mentors. While less apparent, when you are building a business from the ground up, the power of peer networking is invaluable,” says Desigan Chetty, Head of Operations at Property Point. “Entrepreneurship can be an isolating journey, but you don’t have to go it alone. Having a strong peer network can help you as a business owner, and support you with referrals, advice or even just an empathetic friend to mee

People do business with people they know, like and trust. Building relationships, however, takes time and effort. Even so, relationships are fundamental to growing small businesses, and entrepreneurs should never lose sight of that. At small business accelerator Property Point, a Growthpoint initiative, relationships are considered to be so fundamental for building sustainable small companies that they are one of its three pillars: Risk, Reputation and Relationships. “The obvious relationships that a small business wants to nurture are those with clients, funders, suppliers or mentors. While less apparent, when you are building a business from the ground up, the power of peer networking is invaluable,” says Desigan Chetty, Head of Operations at Property Point. “Entrepreneurship can be an isolating journey, but you don’t have to go it alone. Having a strong peer network can help you as a business owner, and support you with referrals, advice or even just an empathetic friend to mee

The improper disposal of waste is one of the fastest growing risks to our planet and way of life. Rotting food leads to increases in methane gasses as the food decomposes in landfills. To address this, the City of Cape Town plans to start banning wet waste from its landfills from 2022. The Waste Transformers from the Netherlands and South Africa’s own JSE-listed international property company Growthpoint Properties have united to help take on this challenge. They are leveraging end-of-pipeline food waste from shopping malls and adopting a de-centralised approach to organic waste. An on-site, anaerobic digester has been installed at Growthpoint’s N1 City Mall in Cape Town, which is processing the waste from the mall to generate clean methane. This methane is consumed by an internal combustion engine to produce green electricity and hot water for the shopping centre. A fertiliser is also created, which will be used for the mall’s gardens. It is an on-site, smart, green, transporta

Brokk, the world’s leading manufacturer of remote-controlled demolition machines, hires Ted Graser as its southeast regional sales manager. Graser manages sales for both Brokk robotic demolition machines and the company’s Aquajet Systems AB hydrodemolition robots. He provides support to customers throughout Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and the Carolinas. “Ted’s sales and equipment experience are a valuable asset to our team,” said Peter Bigwood, Brokk vice president of sales and marketing. “His knowledge of the southeast region and drive to help service customers gives him valuable insight when it comes to building and maintaining relationships.” Graser joins Brokk with 25 years of construction and industrial equipment sales experience, including managing international territories for Link-Belt Excavators, a U.S.-based heavy construction equipment manufacturer; Time Manufacturing Company, a Texas-based manufacturer of aerial lifts; and Sennebogen, a German material handlin

Talbert Manufacturing, a North American leader in specialized heavy-haul solutions, offers the 60CC/55SA-LD trailer for optimum versatility. The trailer pairs with Talbert’s optional East Coast-style E2Nitro™ spreader, allowing for 60-ton capacity with a close-coupled configuration or a 55-ton hauling capacity with a spread axle configuration. This innovative Talbert design gives customers flexibility to switch between configurations to meet differing hauling regulations. While maintaining a 60-ton rating at half the deck length, the 60CC/55SA-LD offers a 6-inch ground clearance with an 18-inch loaded deck height — two inches lower than competitive models. “We’re the only manufacturer offering a trailer in this hauling class with an 18-inch loaded deck height,” said Troy Geisler, Talbert vice president of sales and marketing. “Those two inches make a huge difference in today’s hauling world.” The Talbert 60CC/55SA-LD is a hydraulic detachable gooseneck trailer featuring a non-ground

World Bank president Dr Jim Yong Kim, currently on an official visit to South Africa, was hosted yesterday afternoon by the Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Compensation Commissioner Dr Barry Kistnasamy, the Minerals Council South Africa, and the Occupational Lung Disease (OLD) Working Group and its six member mining companies: African Rainbow Minerals; AngloGold Ashanti; Anglo American SA; Gold Fields; Harmony and Sibanye-Stillwater. The purpose of the event was to demonstrate to Dr Kim the outreach work being carried out collaboratively by these organisations in mining regions and labour-sending areas around the southern African sub-continent. The World Bank was instrumental in providing initial investments and analytical work which assisted in towards a more comprehensive and fully integrated occupational health services for ex-mineworkers in southern Africa. The purpose of the work is to track and trace former mineworkers, test them for any occupational lung diseases they ma

There is an ever-growing need for faster, more efficient production methods and manufacturers are striving to find the perfect balance between product quality and affordability and to deliver within the shortest possible lead times, while acknowledging the environment. This quest, amongst other factors, has given rise to the fourth industrial revolution which sees manufacturers adopting the latest automation and digitalisation technologies to streamline their production processes. SKF, always at the forefront of innovation, started the digital transformation of its Göteborg plant in Sweden in 2015. The bearing and rotation technology specialist is addressing every aspect within the digital revolution space in order to arm its facility with the necessary capabilities for the seamless, efficient, cost-effective, safe and eco-friendly production of bearings of exceptional quality. With process fluidity a key factor in SKF’s digital transformation, the company has also turned its atte

ASX-listed Resolute Mining has signed a joint development agreement with power project financier, developer and operator Ignite Energy Projects for the development of a 40 MW independent solar hybrid power plant at its Syama gold mine, in Mali. The power plant, which will be operational by the end of 2020, will combine solar, battery and heavy fuel oil technologies and will replace the existing 28 MW diesel-fired power station at the mine. Ignite will design, fund, build, own and operate the power plant and will supply power to Resolute on a guaranteed basis, subject to a maximum tariff over a term of 12 to 20 years. Once built, the project is expected to be the world's largest offgrid, fully integrated hybrid power plant for a standalone mining operation. Resolute expects the solar hybrid power solution to reduce its energy costs at Syama by 40%, as well as lower the mine's carbon emissions. "The project is consistent with our ongoing efforts to use innovation and te

Gold and copper miner Newmont Mining has declared commercial production at the Subika underground mine in Ghana – its third completed expansion project for the year. The $186-million Subika underground project will expand the production of the Ahafo mine, producing an average of 150 000 oz/y to 200 000 oz/y for the first five years of its initial ten-year mine life. Combined with completion of the Ahafo Mill Expansion project expected in the second half of next year, Ahafo’s average annual all-in sustaining costs are projected to improve by between $250/oz and $350/oz, compared with 2016. “In addition to increasing gold production and lowering costs at Ahafo, Subika underground leverages the operation’s existing infrastructure and experienced workforce to further extend mine life,” Newmont CEO Gary Goldberg commented in a news release on Monday. He added that the mine provided an underground platform to explore additional upside potential in adjacent orebodies and also included som

LONDON/TORONTO – Barrick Gold's incoming chief executive said he wants to pull together Tanzania's mining industry to tackle a "desperate" tax dispute that has snared several companies, including the firm's Acacia Mining unit. In an increasingly acrimonious conflict that has lasted almost two years, the government has torn up mining contracts, hiked taxes and royalties, and banned raw minerals exports. President John Magufuli, nicknamed "The Bulldozer", swept to power in 2015 pledging to secure a bigger share of resource wealth and cut corruption. Acacia was later handed a $190-billion tax bill - about four times the country's gross domestic product - for underreporting output. The miner, 63.9%-owned by Barrick, now faces dozens of criminal charges, from tax evasion to money laundering, with three employees arrested on related accusations Randgold founder Mark Bristow, Barrick's new CEO after its $6.1-billion acquisition of Randgold closes on

The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) on Monday committed its members to implement the United Nations (UN) Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Speaking at the UN Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights, ICMM CE Tom Butler announced the industry body's new performance expectations that will "define what mining with principles looks like in practice", by setting a benchmark for the industry’s environmental and social performance. The performance expectations, which will apply to all ICMM members, were developed with extensive input from nongovernmental organisations, international organisations and academics. “ICMM’s council of 27 CEOs have shown real leadership in being the first industry body to commit to implementing the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. “Importantly, other companies will also be able to publicly commit to our performance expectations and I hope this will lead the broader industry to further impr