ARTICLES

 

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.

 

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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, 2017, and 2018. He currently serves on the Technical Programme Committee and the Publications Committee of the SAIMM.

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

In 1990 John joined the Mufulira copper mine project in Zambia as a Project Manager, 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 Master of Engineering degree in Project Management.

A few months after graduating from University of Pretoria, 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 risk management during shaft sinking operations.

John returned to South Africa in 2006 and joined RSV as a Consulting Engineer on gold and platinum projects. In 2008 he joined CBS Australia (Pty) Ltd as an Executive Director, a position that he currently holds.

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.

 

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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.

 

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Northern Cape Branch

 

 

Fabian Clint Nieuwenhuys

 

 

Fabian Nieuwenhuys has been a Member of the SAIMM since 2014 and a member of the Northern Cape Branch Committee since 2015. He was elected as Branch Secretary in 2016 and Branch Chairman in 2018.

After graduating from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 2008, Fabian began his career as a professional-in-training at Namakwa Sands Smelting Operation, a heavy mineral sands smelting facility situated on the west coast of South Africa. In 2011 he was promoted to the position of Senior Plant Metallurgist and subsequently re-assigned to the Namakwa Sands Mineral Separation Plant.

In 2013 Fabian joined the Assmang Group as a Project Metallurgist at the Khumani Iron Ore Mine, and after 2 years was promoted to the position of Production Manager at the wet high-intensity magnetic separation process (WHIMS) in 2015. In 2016 Fabian completed a postgraduate Diploma in Management Practice at the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business.

Since 2016 Fabian has fulfilled multiple roles and responsibilities within the Khumani Mine management structure, and is currently assigned as Manager of the Metallurgical Services department, the load-out operations, as well as both primary crushing plants.

Fabian is married to Azalia, with a son and two daughters named, Aden, Logan, and Dyllan. His hobbies include reading, camping, playing the acoustic guitar, and online video gaming.

 

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Pretoria Branch

 

 

Roelf Mostert

 

 

 

Professor Roelf Mostert has been Head of the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Pretoria, since 2015. He is a founding Council Member of FORENSA, the Forensic Engineering Association of Southern Africa, and is the current Chairman of the Pretoria SAIMM Branch. His research interests include experimental mechanics of engineering materials, phase transformations, failure, forensics, and engineering law.

Roelf Mostert has produced a significant body 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 academic publications, conference presentations, and patents typically flow from addressing topical problems in industry and society. He is the current Director of the Industrial Metals and Minerals Research Institute (IMMRI), a research facility with a strong focus on analytical high-temperature metallurgy. He is active in engineering dispute resolution, holds postgraduate qualifications in this field, and often appears as an expert witness in litigations. He is a registered Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa.

 

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Western Cape Branch

 

 

Lawrence Sidney Bbosa

 

 

Lawrence Bbosa completed his schooling in Nairobi, Kenya. He gained a BSc in Electro-Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cape Town in 2005, followed by an MSc in Chemical Engineering, specializing in the analysis of theories and models relating to ore breakage, and comparison of breakage behaviour of ores across a series of devices common to comminution research.

From January 2009 to June 2013 he held the position of Senior Scientific Officer at UCT's Centre for Minerals Research, where he coordinated and assisted activities within the research group, conducted numerical modelling simulations and laboratory experiments, and taught and assisted undergraduate and postgraduate students. During this time he completed a PhD in Chemical Engineering. The scope of his research covered both the applied and computational aspects of comminution, including computational modelling of tumbling mills using the discrete element method (DEM), validation with experimental data from positron emission particle tracking (PEPT), and modelling of power draw and energy dissipation in terms of charge motion variables. Since 2013 he has held the post of Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at UCT, where he teaches in the Chemical Engineering degree programme and also pursues comminution research with the Centre for Minerals Research.

Lawrence is Vice Chair of SAIMM's Western Cape Branch. He has served terms on the University committee for International and Refugee Student Scholarship Awards as well as the Faculty ethics, safety, and first-year committees. He is a keen long-distance runner, and has completed the Two Oceans Half Marathon three times, as well as the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in 2014.

 

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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 completed a Bachelor of Education in Environmental Education at UNZA, and he is currently studying for an MSc in Sustainable Mineral Resource Development under the Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (ESDA) 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 and tutor at Nchanga School of Midwifery and Nursing in the Zambian Ministry of Health. The couple have three children: Martin Kazandwe, Precious Mwaba, and Gracious Kunda.

Darius has a wide range of specialized skills and training, including X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, 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 Vice President), the Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ), and a student member of ABE, UK.

 

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Zimbabwean Branch

 

 

Clara Petronella Sadomba

 

 

Clara Sadomba graduated from the University of Zimbabwe in 1990 with a Bachelor of Technology (Applied Chemistry & Chemical Technology), and went on to complete a Master's degree in Metallurgical Engineering at McGill University, Montreal, Canada in 1996. After a brief spell in the chemicals and plastics industries, she joined Zimbabwean integrated ferrochrome producer Zimasco (Pvt) Ltd under their graduate learnership programme and has been with the company since then, progressing through the operational, middle, and executive managerial levels. She is currently General Manager - Marketing and Administration, with key responsibilities that include marketing strategy and planning; market analysis; marketing, sales, and logistics process optimization; corporate communication; and administration of head office operations.

Clara has extensive international business experience with cross-sector and cross-cultural exposure. She is registered as a Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of Zimbabwe, a member of the SAIMM (she is Chairperson of the Institute's Zimbabwe Branch), and a member of the Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers. She is also Chairperson of the Zimasco Pension Fund.

Clara is single, with one son aged eighteen.

 

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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.