Chrome

• Dwarsrivier
• Machadodorp

Dwarsrivier

History

Ore conveyor and Portal at the new underground mine.

Assmang bought the farm Dwarsrivier 372KT, including all surface and mineral rights, in October 1998 for R163 million. In July 1999, board approval was given to proceed with final design and construction of a chrome mine, following an extensive feasibility study which incorporated a beneficiation plant, tailings dam and both opencast and underground mine designs. Construction of the infrastructure, plant and opencast mine was completed by September 2000.

Dwarsrivier Mine is constantly investigating and evaluating technological advances in the mining industry to improve efficiency and productivity , and to reduce costs.

Production

All the chromite production from Dwarsrivier Mine is now sourced from the underground mine as the opencast reserves were exhausted in 2005. Production from underground is gradually increasing towards the current design capacity of 120000 tons per month ROM. Dwarsrivier Mine is specifically geared to deliver quality metallurgical chromite to Machadodorp, although the beneficiation plant can also produce chemical and foundry grades.

Product specifications

Safety and Health.

The safety and health of all employees remains a top priority at Dwarsrivier. Constant safety awareness is essential for every individual on site and this has become the mine’s norm. Competitions have been introduced focusing on accidents and incidents as well as good housekeeping to encourage safe practices and all employees and long term contractors participate in the safety competitions and safety incentive schemes.

Primary healthcare is provided on site and a plan is being implemented on the management of HIV/AIDS.

A safety and health management system based on OHSAS 18001 has been implemented.

Environment

Overland ore conveyor with metallurgical plant in background

The approved Environmental Management Policy for Dwarsrivier forms the basis for the environmental management system. Not only does the mine comply with all legal and other requirements but because of its location in an area of outstanding scenic beauty the mine strives to exceed these norms.

During the opencast mining phase, continuous backfilling of mined out areas was carried out and these have been successfully rehabilitated by landscaping and revegetating. An environmental management system based on ISO14001 is currently in place.

Social responsibility

The upliftment of communities in the Steelpoort area is one of the key objectives of the mine. A database has been established of all companies in the emerging sector in the area and every effort is made to utilize these companies as contractors or as suppliers. Dwarsrivier is also closely involved with education, through interaction with the Department of Education and directly with schools in the area.

Personnel

Dwarsrivier Mine currently operates with 249 permanent employees and 551 contractor employees.  The core management team employed by Assmang takes overall responsibility for the day to day management of the mine, while functions like underground mining, tailings dam operation, as well as survey services, health services, garden services and office cleaning are outsourced.

Developments

The underground mine is managed with a constant focus on continuous improvement through utilization of best available technologies, coupled to motivation, training and empowerment of employees.

In addition, the possibilities of expanding production are being investigated.