The Kroondal Platinum Mine is located 120 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in the North West Province, South Africa. This region is one of the most productive platinum regions in the world, accounting for approximately 94% of annual platinum production. 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 has a history going back more than 80 years serving the mining industry and is recognised as a leading mining contracting group worldwide with a presence in Africa, Australasia and North America. In 1999, Cementation Africa 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 July 2008 based on a risk sharing commercial arrangement.
Murray & Roberts Cementation is responsible for day-to-day operation of the mine and provides all services required to undertake mining activities, including all underground activities 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 opencast ore supplied by others.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, high-risk smelting and refining operations.
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 opencast mining and Minopex operates the metallurgical plants. Other minor contractors perform the duties of service departments such as surveying, rock engineering, ventilation and geology.
