Case Study

A WIN-WIN PARTNERSHIP

Kroondal & Marikana Platinum Mine

Kroondal Mine	Underground training at Kroondal

In 1999, Murray & Roberts Cementation entered into a landmark contract with Aquarius Platinum to toll mine the shallow platinum ore body at Kroondal. A revised contract to the value of about R1,5 billion annually was negotiated in 2008. Project executive, Freddie Geldenhuys describes how a good relationship between the client and contractors has contributed to the success of the project.

The Kroondal Platinum Mine is located 120 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in the North West Province of South Africa, a region that accounts for approximately 94% of annual platinum production and is one of the most productive platinum regions in the world. The mine is one of the most cost effective underground platinum mines globally and consists of two mines with a total workforce of more than 6 000 people.

Murray & Roberts Cementation is responsible for day-to-day operation of the mine, as well as providing all services required to undertake mining activities, including all underground work from initial production planning to the final delivery of ore to the surface stockpiles. The Kroondal processing plants are supplied from six main producing shafts with a production output of about 800 000 tons of underground ore per month blended with 50 000 tons of open cast ore. Both opencast and underground mining ore is processed in the metallurgical plants to produce a concentrate which is supplied to Impala Refining Services and RPM in Rustenburg.

The capital intensive small mine concept developed by Aquarius at Kroondal has revolutionised the South African PGM industry and incorporates the use of key contractors, highly mechanised mining operations and the outsourcing of high-cost, highrisk smelting and refining operations. Productivity levels at Kroondal are ranked with the highest in the industry. In accordance with the client’s business model, the operational activities at the mine are outsourced to three specialised contractors:

• Murray & Roberts Cementation performs underground mining, with a workforce of more than 5 000 people
• MCC performs open cast mining
• Minopex operates the metallurgical plants Other minor contractors perform the duties of service departments such as surveying, rock engineering, ventilation and geology.

Kroondal’s safety performance compares favourably with industry performance. The project achieved the significant milestone of two million fatality free shifts on 26 April 2009.

INTERNATIONAL MINING POWER

Murray & Roberts has a history going back more than 80 years of serving the mining industry and is recognised as a leading mining contracting group worldwide. The Group’s mining construction and development business serves the world’s main mining regions in Africa, North and South Amercia and Australasia. This year, Murray & Roberts established Cementation Sud America, an operation in Chile, to strengthen its presence in South America.