ARTICLES

 

Profiles of the Branch Chairmen

 

 

Democratic Republic of Congo Branch

Susa Maleba

 

 

Susa Maleba graduated from the University of Lubumbashi, DRC, with a BSc Eng. (Mining) and completed a BSc (Hons) in Mining Engineering, specializing in Mining Environment, at Pretoria University. Susa has been involved in the field of mining engineering, specializing in mining design, mining ventilation, and mine planning, for the past 16 years. His expertise includes:

• Underground mine design, layout, and scheduling

• Mine ventilation and refrigeration, environmental control, and occupational hygiene

• Open pit design, optimization, and production scheduling

• Feasibility studies on open pit and underground operations

• Environmental and social research, impact assessment, stakeholder engagement

• Recruitment, training and coordination of mining-related personnel

• Consulting and contracting.

He is currently Country Manager/Mining Engineer for SRK Consulting in the DRC

 

Johannesburg Branch

John Arthur Luckmann

 

 

John Arthur has been a Fellow of the SAIMM since 1989 and member of the Johannesburg branch committee since 2013. John was elected as Vice Chairman in 2014 and Branch Chairman in 2016. John currently serves on the Technical Programme Committee and the Publication Committee. John represents the Career Guidance and Education Committee on the YPC committee as an observer.

After graduating from the Silesian University of Technology in 1974, John started his career as an engineer in training at Biprol, Poland, then in 1980 John joined JF Thomson (Pty) Ltd a company based in Perth, Western Australia. In 1984 John teamed up with the Chamber of Mines Research Organization of South Africa (COMRO).

In 1990 John subsequently joined the Mufulira copper mine project in Zambia and two years later he took up the position of project manager of the water treatment plant project at Riffa, Bahrain.

In 1999 John was enrolled at the University of Pretoria where he studied towards his master degree, graduating in 2002 with a M. Eng degree, in Project Management.

A few months after graduating from UP, John joined the French Agency (L'Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs ) in Bure, France as a Principal Consultant, to provide project risk management towards shaft sinking operations.

John came back to South Africa in 2006 and joined RSV as a consulting engineer dedicated specifically to gold and platinum projects. In 2008 he joined CBS Australia (Pty) Ltd, where he presently works. Since 2015 John is studying towards PhD degree in mining engineering at Wits University.

John is married to Evelyn and has a daughter Isabella and two grandsons Juan and Tatum. John enjoys classical music, plays the accordion and harmonica.

 

Namibian Branch

Nikowa Mabvuto Namate

 

 

Nikowa is the Deputy Head of Department and Lecturer, Mining and Process Engineering, Polytechnic of Namibia

His key attributes include:

• Mining Engineering Degree from University of Zimbabwe

• Over ten years of industrial and academic experience

• Strong team building capability and leadership skills

• Strong research interest in industrial engineering processes and ergonomics

• Certified energy auditor

• Small scale mining consultant

Nikowa has a good understanding of the mining industry in Namibia.

Northern Cape Branch

Cedrick van Wyk

 

 

Cedrick Van Wyk was born and grew up in Luderitz, Namibia. He completed schooling at the Concordia College in Windhoek, Namibia.

Cedrick joined JCI in 1989 as a learner official and completed the Higher National Diploma in Extractive Metallurgy from the University of Johannesburg (Wits Technikon) in 1993. He completed the Anglo American MDP with the University of Stellenbosch Business School in 2005.

Cedrick was employed with Rustenburg Base Metals Refiners (Anglo Platinum) for seven and a half years. Four of those years were spent at the Base Metals Refiners (BMR) and a further three years' production experience was obtained in the Magnetic Concentration Plant (MC Plant). Cedrick also obtained two and a half years' experience in gold metallurgy at the Randfontein Estates Gold Mine, while studying towards his diploma.

Cedrick started working at Kumba Iron Ore Ltd in 2007 as a senior process engineer. He was promoted to Manager: Quality Assurance and Stewardship in 2008, followed by appointment to the post of Process Development Manager, DMS Plant. He is currently Principal Metallurgist in the Technical Services Department at Kumba's Sishen Mine, a post he has held since October 2012.

Cedrick is a member of the South African Coal Processing Society and the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. He is married to Mildred and the couple have three children: Griffith, Tracy-Leigh, and Robin. They currently live in Kathu in the Northern Cape.

 

Pretoria Branch

Pierre Bredell

 

 

Pierre has been an active mining engineer since 1996. His early years were with Randfontein Estates Gold Mines and Centrocen Projects. In 2000, Pierre co-founded and developed LQS International, a geological and mining engineering consultancy with offices in Johannesburg, Perth, Vancouver, Santiago, and London. From 2005 to 2009, Pierre was responsible for developing the company's international business from a base in London, UK. His primary responsibilities during this period were corporate development, client relations, project management, and due diligence. He has considerable experience managing and coordinating people and working in the technical environments of open pit and underground mining. LQS International was bought by DRA International in 2010.

In 2012, Pierre joined the University of Pretoria, South Africa, as a senior lecturer in the Mining Engineering Department. Here he shares his expertise in mineral economics and risk management.

 

Western Cape Branch

Craig Sweet

 

 

Craig spent 8 years with Anglo Platinum, where he focused on PGM concentrator design, operational management, and plant optimization. He led the recapitalization of a number of older concentrators in the group and filled the role of Technical Manager of the Process Business Unit at the time of his resignation. He spent 5 years employed by MPTech, the University of Cape Town's mineral processing consultancy, where he focused on mineral processing plant optimization. In this capacity he was involved with optimization projects on, among others, Anglo Platinum's Waterval UG2, Waterval Merensky Retrofit plant, Potgietersrus Platinum, and Mototolo operations, and Xstrata's Eland Platinum Mine operation.

Craig was Project Manager - Process, for the very successful phases 1 and 2 of the Tharisa Chrome and PGM project, and Project Manager - Process for Kameni Ltd. He completed process design on greenfield and brownfield platinum and chrome projects, including smelter work. Other experience includes rare earth elements, gold processing in Mali, tin recovery in the DRC, and numerous comminution, classification, gravity separation, and flotation processes.

Craig played a leading role in the establishment of a technical development programme for metallurgical graduates at a major mining house.

He works in a multidisciplinary alliance known as The HeadRoom Initiative, where participants focus on solving interesting and challenging problems that extend across a number of engineering disciplines, without the overhead costs and structures of traditional engineering companies.

 

Zambian Branch

Darius Muma

 

 

Darius was born on 26 September 1976 in the Luanshya district of the Copperbelt Province, Zambia. He gained a BSc (Chemistry at the University of Zambia (UNZA), Lusaka, in 2004, and a (BEd) in Environmental Education, also at UNZA, in 2016. He also holds a Diploma in Business Management from the Association of Business Executives (ABE), UK.

From 2004-2005 Darius worked as an Environmental Project Assistant at UNZA School of Mines with the Advocacy for Environmental Restoration Zambia (AREZ) in Lusaka. In October 2005 he joined Konkola Copper Mines as a graduate chemist, progressing to senior chemist, sectional chemist, and acting Head of Analytical Services at Nchanga Mine in Chingola. In March 2014 he joined Mopani Copper Mines, where he is currently Assistant Superintendent Technical in the Analytical Services Department, Mufulira mine site.

Darius has a wide range of specialized skills and training, including X-ray fluorescence, fire assay and related pyrometallugical analysis techniques, laboratory auditing, chemometrics and intelligent laboratory systems, metallurgical accounting, and laboratory information management systems. He is a Member of the SAIMM (currently Chairperson of the Zambian Branch), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the Chemical Society of Zambia (CSZ) (currently Northern Region secretary), the Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ), and a student member of ABE, UK

Darius is married to Priscilla Chola, a professional nurse in the Zambian Ministry of Health. They have two children; Martin Kazandwe and Precious Mwaba Muma.

Zimbabwean Branch

Stanley Matutu

 

 

Stanley graduated at the University of Zimbabwe in 1995 with an Honours Degree in Metallurgical Engineering, and gained his Masters in Business Administration (MBA), in 2002, also at the University of Zimbabwe. He commenced graduate traineeship in metallurgy in 1995 at Bindura Nickel Corporation in Zimbabwe, then owned by Anglo American. He worked in the base metal concentrator, smelter, and refinery operations at Bindura and moved through the ranks from plant metallurgist to plant manager, then to the position of Group Projects Metallurgist in charge of metallurgical projects in the Bindura group.

In 2008 Stanley joined Zimbabwe Platinum Mines (Zimplats), a subsidiary of the Impala Platinum Group, where he is currently Metallurgical Services Manager in charge of metallurgy technical services and new metallurgical projects for the concentrator, smelter, and base metal refinery.

Zululand Branch

Christo Mienie

 

 

Christo was born on 18 November 1963 in Vereeniging and matriculated in 1981. He obtained his Dip Tech (T5) in Metallurgical Engineering from the Vaal Triangle Technikon. He worked at Iscor (Mittal) Blast furnaces and their Research and Development department. His area of focus was iron manufacturing, with particular interest in the evaluation and characterization of iron ore, coal, and coke for the blast furnace, direct reduction, and Corex processes.

Christo joined Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) in 1992. He gained valuable metallurgical and production experience over the next 14 years at various RBM plants including the roaster, char plant, iron processing, slag processing, and the smelter. His metallurgical responsibilities included increasing the production of prime grade slag and pig iron, furnace rebuilds, working in conjunction with the marketing department to establish new markets and customers, and the introduction of best practices in the process metallurgical field.

His HR responsibilities included the management, training and development of metallurgists. He completed his MDP through the University of Durban Westville during 1997. Christo obtained valuable experience with regards to business restructuring ('right-sizing') while being the team leader responsible for the SHEQ and technical departments.

He resigned from the corporate world when he joined Spectrum Technical (Pty) Ltd in 2006 as a director and shareholder - his current position. Services to clients includes plant feasibility studies, flow sheet design, process equipment selection and supply, pilot-scale test work, plant commissioning, troubleshooting, and cost analyses in the metals and minerals industry.

Christo is married to Marietjie, and they have two boys - Francois and Christo Junior. He is a keen jogger.