NEWS

Profiles of the Branch Chairpersons

SAIMM Branch Chairpersons

 

 

 

Democratic Republic of Congo Branch

Susa Maleba

Susa is a Mining Engineer, married with three children.

Education

BSc (Hons), Mining Engineering, with specialization in:

Mining Environment, Pretoria University, 2004

BSc Eng, Mining, University of Lubumbashi, 1999

Postgraduate Certificate, Advanced Taxation, University of South Africa, 2005

Intermediate Certificate, Mine Environmental Control/ Occupational Hygene, Chamber of Mines of South Africa, University of South Africa, 2004

Registrations/Affiliations

MSAIMM 704782, MVSSA 60872

Specialization

Mining design, mine planning and scheduling, mining ventilation, and mining environmental control.

Expertise

Susa Maleba has been involved in the field of mining engineering for the past 15 years. His expertise includes:

• Underground mine design, layout, and scheduling

• (Mine 2-4D and EPS)

• Mine ventilation and refrigeration

• Open pit optimization (NPV-Scheduler)

• Feasibility studies on open pit and underground operations

• Open pit design (Mine 2-4D)

• Open pit production scheduling (NPV-Scheduler and EPS)

• Mine environmental control and occupational hygiene

• Projects management

• ESIA projects management and coordination.

Employment

Oct 2009-present: SRK Consulting (Pty) Ltd, Mining Engineer, DRC

Aug 2007-Aug 2009: A & B Global, Mining Consultants, Mining Consultant, South Africa

Jul 2003-Jul 2007: CSIR MININGTEK, Research Engineer, South Africa

Sep 2002-Jun 2003: SARS, Tax Consultant, South Africa

Sep 1997-Jul 2000: Gecamines - Sodimico, Engineer in training and Junior Engineer, DRC.

Languages

• English-read, write, speak

• French-read, write, speak

• Swahili-read, write, speak.

Publications

1. Maleba, S. Life of the mine plan for Xstrata. Kroondal Chrome, 2008.

2. Maleba, S. and Jager, T. 2005. Best practice guidelines for the mining and rehabilitation of granite mines in the Brits-Rustenburg areas of SA.

3. Els, R. and Maleba, S. Investigation into nanotechnology for mining applications, CSIR Mining Technology STEP Project. 2005.

4. Maleba, S. Critical review of mining taxation in the African mining countries. UNISA, September 2004.

5. McGill, J.E., Maleba, S., Moseme, R., and Peake, A.V. Mining Plan for Ndwedwe Ceramics (Pty) Ltd. 2004.

6. Maleba, S. and Moseme, R. Mining plan for Phuthadijthaba Sandstone, 2004.

7. Matesa, J. and Maleba, S. Heat gains measurement of four insulation systems supplied by Robor. 2004.

8. Matesa, J. and Maleba, S. Measurement of the heat transfer and air pressure drop characteristics of a 350 kW Manos engineering cooling coils. 2003.

9. Maleba, S. Applicability of a mechanised rooms and pillar mining method in the exploitation of the east reef Kisenda Mines (Technical and economical analysis). University of Lubumbashi 1999.

 

 

 

Johannesburg Branch

John Arthur Luckmann

John Arthur Luckmann 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. He currently serves on the Technical Programme Committee and the Publication Committee of the SAIMM, and represents the Career Guidance and Education Committee on the YPC Committee as an observer.

After graduating from Silesian University of Technology, Poland in 1974, John started his career as an engineer in training at Biprol, Poland. In 1980 he 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 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 enrolled at the University of Pretoria, graduating in 2002 with an 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 input on project risk management during shaft sinking operations.

John returned to South Africa in 2006 to join RSV as a consulting engineer on gold and platinum projects. In 2008 he joined the CBS Australia (Pty) Ltd based in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he currently works.

Since 2015 John has been studying towards a PhD degree in mining engineering at Wits University. John is married to Evelyn and they have a daughter, Isabella and two grandsons, Juan and Tatum. John enjoys classical music, and plays accordion and harmonica.

 

 

 

Namibian Branch

Nikowa Mabvuto Namate

Nikowa Namate is an industrial engineer and a mining engineer with 16 years' experience in industry and academia. He has worked in both the mining and the mechanical engineering fields, and is currently deputy head of the Department of Mining and Process Engineering at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, where he lectures in mining law, mining policy, and mine design and also acts as liaison between the engineering faculty and industry. He is a certified energy auditor, and has also served as an advisor to the Minister responsible for mines and consulted on a number of projects both on the small-scale and industrial level.

Nikowa has a passion for policy analysis, legislation, and strategic management. Has recently been involved in the development of government strategy for small-scale mining industry growth, and takes a keen interest in general research and ergonomics.

 

 

 

Northern Cape Branch

Willem Jacobus Mans

Willem Jacobus (Jaco) Mans has 12 years' experience in the mining industry across multiple organizations and operations that gave him exposure to a wide range of commodities and mining methods. He has held a variety of positions including mine activity design (MAD) engineer, senior mining engineer planning, mining superintendent, drill and blast engineer, mine overseer, project manager, and ventilation and occupational hygiene engineer. He has been in a managerial role in the production environment since 2008, during which time he has made targets/budgets on numerous mines and also set some budget records that still stand. Jaco has worked for Exxaro Resources, BHP Billiton, Anglo American, and Tshipi é Ntle, where he is currently Mineral Resource Manager. Jaco holds a BEng (Hons) in Mining from the University of Pretoria, and Mine Manager's certificates in coal and metalliferous mining. He is registered as a Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), and a member of the SAIMM, the Mine Ventilation Society of South Africa (MVSSA), and the Association of Mine Managers South Africa (AMMSA).

 

 

 

Pretoria Branch

Roelf Mostert

Professor Roelf Mostert is the Head of the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Pretoria, a post he has held since 2015. He is a founding council member of FORENSA, the Forensic Engineering Association of Southern Africa, and is the current chairman of the Northern Gauteng SAIMM Branch. His research interests include materials degradation and integrity, phase transformations, high-temperature metallurgy, failure, forensics, and engineering law. Roelf has published a large number of industrial reports on matters pertaining to failure, materials degradation, and fitness-for-service, specifically for the oil and gas, petrochemical, and construction industries. His publications, conference presentations, and patents typically flowed from addressing topical problems in industry and society. He is the current Director of the Industrial Metals and Minerals Research Institute (IMMRI), a national research facility with a strong focus on high-temperature metallurgy. He is active in engineering dispute resolution, - he holds post-graduate qualifications in this field - and often appears as an expert witness in litigations. He is a member of the Engineering Council of South Africa and is on the Council of the SAIMM.

 

 

 

Western Cape Branch

Richard Beck

Richard Beck graduated from the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College, London with a BSc (Hons) (Eng) in Mineral Technology. He emigrated to South Africa in 1969 and spent 28 years with Gold Fields of South Africa (GFSA), progressing from Postgraduate Metallurgist at Doornfontein Gold Mine to Chief Consulting Metallurgist in Johannesburg. Highlights over this period were being responsible for the commissioning and startup, as the first Metallurgical Manager, of Black Mountain Mine, appointment as General Manager of the Zinc Corporation of South Africa, and taking charge of the metallurgy and chemical engineering for a large number of operations and projects, including Northam Platinum. After leaving GFSA, Richard became an independent consultant, before joining AMIRA International as Research Coordinator to provide professional services in the management and development of research projects in the African continent He has now retired to Cape Town, but keeps in touch with activities at UCT.

Richard is a Past-President of the SAIMM (1991-1992) and still serves as a Council Member, and was the previous Editorial Consultant for the SAIMM Journal. He is registered as a PrEng and CEng, and is a Fellow of the IOM3. Richard is married, with two children and four grandchildren.

 

 

 

Zambian Branch

Darius Muma

Darius Muma graduated from the University of Zambia (UNZA) in 2004 with a BSc Chemistry. He worked as an Environmental Project Assistant at UNZA School of Mines with the Advocacy for Environmental Restoration Zambia (AREZ), before joining Konkola Copper Mines' (KCM) Nchanga Mine in Chingola as a Graduate Chemist. He remained with KCM for 8½ years, progressing through the ranks to Senior Chemist, Sectional Chemist, and Acting Head of Analytical Services. During this time he gained a Diploma in Business Management (Association of Business Executives, UK).

In 2014 Darius moved to Mopani Copper Mines' Mufulira Mine to take up his present position of Assistant Superintendent Technical. While at Mufulira, he has completed a Bachelor of Education in Environmental Education at UNZA, and he is currently studying for an MSc in Sustainable Mineral Resource Development under a joint programme of the University of Cape Town's Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment and the UNZA School of Mines.

Darius is married to Priscilla Chola, a professional nurse in the Zambian Ministry of Health, and the couple have three children; Martin Kazandwe, Precious Mwaba, and Gracious Kunda.

 

 

 

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.