Mining Matters 2023

The Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison (DCSSL) received a donation of six calibrated speed cameras and
15 breathalysers with 750 blow pipes from the Anglo American Mine.

The handing-over ceremony took place at the Mashishing community hall on Wednesday October 18.

“Our trucks use the road to and from our mines on a regular basis. Some of the trucks are involved in the crashes that are recorded. Therefore, we cannot sit and watch without doing anything. We hope that the equipment will help improve road safety and increase traffic officers’ visibility on the roads,” said Hennie Wood, a safety, health, environment and quality manager at the Booysendal Platinum Mine.

According to Wood, since the beginning of the year, they have had 16 crashes involving their trucks in Mashishing and the mine precinct.

“We believe these cameras we are donating today will be for a good cause, to curb speeding. We don’t like fines either, but it would be great if the fines were increased so that the lawbreakers could start practising good behaviour,” he said.

The DCSSL transport regulation general manager, Sibandiso Nkuna, said the department appreciated the donation.

“Private partnerships are important for the government to improve service delivery. We need more commitment from the private sector to assist the department in fighting the scourge of road crashes. Most crashes are head-on collisions, sideswipes and loss of control. These items today will go a long way towards curbing this bad behaviour from drivers,” he said.

Nkuna said the mine will form a forum in which information will be shared on how to improve road safety in the area.

The mine also committed to training 10 traffic officers to operate the speed cameras.

Glencore Ferroalloys’ Eastern Limb operations in Limpopo partnered with other mining houses in the Steelpoort area, as well as the Department of Education, on a joint career exhibition for Grade 12 learners in the Sekhukhune East District.

The exhibition was recently held at Glencore’s smelter training centre and was attended by 1 000 learners.

The exhibitors aimed to demonstrate, advise and provide information on various career paths, as well as financing and training opportunities available for learners across the different mines.

One exhibition stand that had learners buzzing was the Immersive Learning Solutions from the Eastern Chrome Mine, which consisted of a virtual reality simulation allowing for learners to get a more practical view of the experience one would have working underground.

“Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions one can make in their lives, and Glencore would like to contribute in ensuring that we are equipping learners with vital information to help them make an informed decision on their career aspirations. The world is also transforming at a rapid rate, and we need to anticipate and look into opportunities that will enable us to train and prepare our learners for what the world of work will look like in the future. We continuously encourage our mining communities to look beyond the mining industry so they are able to sustain themselves long after the mine’s existence,” said Conroy van der Westhuizen, Glencore Ferroalloys’ chief community and social responsibility officer.

A key highlight was the Eastern Limb Training Centre stand, which displayed the different equipment as well as functional components that form part of the training programme that Glencore offers. They also showcased what goes into boiler making, electrical, fitting and other skills one can acquire while working at the mine.

“Glencore has already started the groundwork this year to have different scholarships that will introduce new study fields such as nursing, psychology, teaching and social science, so community members can apply to broaden their knowledge outside of mining industry-related skills. We look forward to this next chapter as these are support services that are vital for our communities to operate at a functional rate,” said Mariska Boltin, senior manager business partner at Eastern Chrome Mines.

In addition, Glencore aims to establish a fertile ground for capacitating youth in the community, and for this reason the organisation is considering how it can introduce coding, machine learning, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and mining in order to equip learners with the right tools and opportunities for the future.

“This is an extremely important event as it will empower our learners to broaden their perspective on potential careers outside of the mining industry, such as IT and health. I look forward to attending these sessions annually and seeing the impact they have on the career decision-making of the learners in our schools,” said Madikgake Masha, Ngwaabe Circuit’s manager.

Over 4 000 learners from schools in and around the region attended the career exhibition to gain sufficient information to plan for a better and brighter future to impact their lives and the communities in which they live.

Samancor Chrome hasn’t just been recognising its dedicated employees for their work ethic, but also for the talent and camaraderie among them.

For one night, those employees packed away their mining gear to be singers and dancers on stage at the annual Samancor Chrome Talent Show at the Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane on October 13.

A total of 32 performances were given by the different Samancor Chrome divisions across the country at this very popular talent competition. Samancor Eastern Chrome Mines near Steelpoort had eight entries for the evening.

Priscilla Metsi won first prize for the best individual singer and Carina Knoesen was second.

Aside from that, the mine was also named the evening’s biggest crowd-pleaser.

To accommodate clients in Steelpoort and surrounding areas, Martha Plant & Tool Hire has recently opened a new branch here.

The company is situated on the R555, just a few kilometres outside town. It is close to the Lannex T-junction. It opened its doors on October 16. According to the management, the old branch at Burgersfort, on the R37 Mashifane Park industrial site, will continue operating.

Clients interested in hiring various tools and machineries, can visit one of the two branches in Tubatse.

Martha Plant & Tool Hire is a well-known light to medium equipment rental solution provider to the construction, mining, agricultural, DIY and other industries.

This company has been operating since 2018. It provides a one-stop service with professional backup and quality equipment to the market.
They have more than 30 dedicated staff members who ensure the best services are rendered to their clients
at all times.

The services they render include the hiring of plant and tools, mobile and site toilets, septic tankers (honeysuckers), mobile lighting plants, standby generators from 6kva-1000kva, office and storage containers, mobile cranes, concrete mixers, jackhammers, tamping rammers and roller compactors.

“We also do construction in mining and agriculture sectors and we are Hilti registered. Anything you need from consumables to power tools, we have it all for you,” said operations manager John Gairongwe.

He added, “Our team is dedicated and professional. No job is too big for us, and no jobs are too small.”

This company also has other sites in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng.

Currently they have promotions, discounts and special deals. “Come visit us for quality equipment at prices that suit your budget. We also do quick deliveries for our clients to complete their jobs on time.”

At both the Burgersfort and Steelpoort branches they operate weekdays from 07:00 to 17:00, on Saturdays from 07:30 to 13:00.

Martha Plant & Tool Hire can be contacted on kairongwe@gmail.com and on 073 912 9895/082 696 9117.