Profiles of the Branch Chairmen

KwaZulu-Natal Branch News

Wynand Rudolf Johannes Erasmus

Sundry information

Memberships: SAIMM, Coal Institute, Umlalazi Ski Boat Club

Educational Qualifictions:

1999: Analytical Chemistry (Intec collage)
2001: Geology Short Coarse (Wits Technikon)
2004: Practical Identification of Rocks and Minerals (Wits Technikon)
2006: Capital Sales (Robbie Clark and Associates)
2008 : Financial Management for Non-Financial Mangers
2009: Contract Law
Current: MDP (Unisa)

Career Progression:

Relevant Achievements

Mineral Technologies

• Establishing the company as the strongest and largest supplier of separation equipment in the heavy minerals industry. Richards Bay Minerals, Exxaro KZN and Namakwa Sands
• Negotiated 'preferred supplier status' with Richards Bay Minerals (RBM, the largest producer of mineral sands in the world). On-site equipment testing assistance, R&D in the chrome and mineral sand industry
• Secured a sustainable future for the company and its employers by negotiating and implementing maintenance contracts with our clients
]]> Established financial independence for the company within 2 years and profitability after 3 years
• Established a metallurgical test work service at Exxaro R&D, SGS, and Mintek (Our equipment, their labour)
• RSA, contributes approximately 40 per cent of the company's total business (Head office in Australia, sales offices in India, Brazil, and USA)
• Negotiating, tendering and securing the total magnetic, electrostatic, and spiral supply for the RBM TTP project (October 2008). Establishing ongoing equipment refurbishment at major clients, Project management (TTP Project), Services management, Steering Committee Member for the 2007 and 2009 International Heavy Minerals conference and, SAIMM KZN Branch Chairman- 2010/ 2012 (approximately 200 members).

Knelson Concentrators

• Establishing the company as the strongest and largest supplier of gravity concentration equipment on the African continent. The company owns more than 80 per cent market share
• Successfully corrected flawed process engineering designs at various sites including Grootvlei, Evander, and Western Areas gold mines that were inherited when joining KCA. Identified greenfields projects and secured supply contracts for:

  South Deep (Placer Dome Western Areas joint ventures) and Avgold Target gold plant.

• Secured and/or played a major role in conjunction with the African supply network in securing the following contracts outside of Southern Africa:
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Bulyanhulu (Tanzania), Morila (Mali), and various smaller operations in East and West Africa

• Equipment tenders for every greenfields gold mining project in Africa in the past three years have been awarded to Knelson Concentrators Africa
• Negotiated an agreement with Knelson Canada to warehouse a local spares consignment in South Africa, thereby ensuring shorter delivery lead times. Established financial independence for the company within 18 months and profitability after 2.5 years. T/o increase more than 5-fold over less than 4 years
• Expanding the market by applying new technology in various applications in the minerals beneficiation industry, also outside of precious metals (Knelson CVD and Acacia Reactor)and established a fast emergency assistance service to client mines and established a metallurgical test work service to the industry and increased the income produced from it 10-fold over less than 3 years.

GMRS- General Metallurgical Research and Services

• Managing a metallurgical laboratory with 12 workers, project management:
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Spiral pilot plant, pelletizing plant, leaching (bottle roles, heap leach), Gravity recovery (Gemini tables, Knelson Concentrators), flotation (Denver cells), and jigs

• Feasibilities: jig chrome recovery, CIP conversion - West Wits, and CIP conversion - West Rand Consolidated Gold Mines. The above projects would often include the involvement and management of sub-contractors in areas such as electrics, piping and pumping, equipment supply and fabrication, installation and erection, and structural design and integrity checks and finally shipment and logistics. ♦

 

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Zimbabwean Branch

 



Shepherd Alexander GaiHai

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Qualifications

1979:   B.Sc. General - University of Rhodesia (majored in Geology & Chemistry)

1980:   B.Sc. Special Honours (Geology) - University of Zimbabwe

1985:   M.Sc. Industrial and Administrative Sciences - The City University (UK) 1986: NEC registered and full blasting licence holder

1988:   Mine Managers Diploma - Ministry of Mines, Zimbabwe

1990:   Certificate in Mining - Lulea University 1990-7: Several computer training courses - MS Word, Excel, Projects, PP, Access 2000-1: Short development courses on gender, organizational development management, and advisory skills - SNV Regional courses - Africa.

2003:   Executive MBA - NUST

2006:   Team building training at Outward Bound, Chimanimani Mountains 1998 & Technical computer course - Lynx & Vulcan 2006-7:

]]> 2006-8: Several SHE courses were done =► ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, SHATCOR, Legal Auditing, Systems Auditing and Lead Auditor's courses

2011:   Syllabus formulations for Competency Certificates in the mining industry, COM.

Professional associations

Geological Society of Zimbabwe (Corporate) Mine Managers Association of Zimbabwe Ventilation Society of South Africa (Fellow) Mining Technical Society, Sweden (Corporate) South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM).

Work experience (32 years in mining)

Geology—Mining & Exploration Geologist

1980-1983: Rio Tinto, Renco Mine.

Hard Rock Mining — Overseer Miner to Underground Manager 1986-1990: Rio Tinto, Renco Mine and

1994-1995: Rio Tinto, Patchway Mine.

Mine Planning—Planning Engineer to Planning Manager

]]> 1991-1993: All Rio Tinto Mines and

1996-1998 - Zimasco Shurugwi

Mining & Technical Services Consultancy

1999-2005: Exploration, geology, mining, projects, management and business development. In addition:

Development Adviser

2000-2002: Mining, Economic Development & Institutional Development SNV Netherlands Development Organization

Part-Time Academic Tutorship at Tertiary Institutions

2004-2008: At UNISA, NUST, Zimbabwe School of Mines and ZOU.

Mine Technical Services Management

Covering exploration & mining geology; planning; survey; rock mechanics; ventilation; mine laboratories; safety, health and environmental management functions; mining operations improvements and new business development projects

]]> 2006 January - 2007 May BIMCO, Redcliff

2007 June - 2008 November How Mine, Metallon, Bulawayo

2008 December - November 2011 AAMines Technical Executive, Shabanie and Gaths Mines.

General Manager - Gaths Mine

2010 September - February 2011: Management to stay afloat. How to avert mine closure while making efforts to court new Investors, managing challenges of care and maintenance of mining operations with very limited financial resources and a demotivated labour force.

Recapitalization Project Manager - AAMines

2011 March - 2011 October

Team Leader in the mine recapitalization project for Shabanie and Gaths Mines. Completed initial assessments, project planning, detailed designs, evaluations and schedules. Seeking for funding.

Business Development Executive, ZMDC

2011 November - Current: Corporate advisory role in Professional Management and Technical Services in the areas of:

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a) Minerals development; production management and supportive technical services =► exploration and mining geology, mineral resource management, mine planning, survey, rock mechanics, ventilation, mining and extractive engineering, environmental, safety, quality control, mine audits and evaluations
b) Business analyses, projects appraisal and implementations, new business development
c) Management of corporate joint ventures
d) Group mineral resources portfolio management, seeking and acquiring new minerals ventures
e) Minerals asset evaluations, due diligences and investment analyses. ♦

 

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Namibian Branch

 

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Fredrick Chitonga

 

 

Fredrick was born on the 25 August 1979, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Position: Specialist: Orebody Knowledge, AngloGold Ashanti

Qualifications: BSc. Geology, MBL (incomplete), OBK&SMP, MSAIMM, and Cert.Sci.Nat.

Brief career history

10 years experience in U, Ni, Mo and Au in various roles in the geosciences, mining, exploration, and R&D industries in southern and East Africa (mostly Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Tanzania).

After graduating in 2003 from UZ, Fred worked in R&D on groundwater geochemical projects for Waternet, and joined Rio Tinto a year later, spending four years in mining and exploration with the geosciences division in the gold sector up to 2006. He continued to run exploration activities in central Zimbabwe in Au, Ni and Mo for SME mining groups while attached to a consultancy group in Harare. He rejoined Rio Tinto in 2008, in uranium, on the Rossing project, spending five years with geosciences, focusing on LoME projects and evaluation of orebodies. In 2012, he rejoined the gold sector with AngloGold Ashanti Tanzania, working on orebody knowledge within the continental Africa region.

]]> Key skills: Orebody knowledge, strategic mine planning, resource evaluation and classification, project valuation and management, contractor and key relationships management, exploration target generation and evaluation, orebody simulation, reconciliation (simulations vs. actual).

Interaction/activities in SAIMM

Council and events.

What do you foresee yourself contributing to within the SAIMM?

Growing Namibia branch membership, stimulating active participation of geosciences and engineering professionals in Namibia in SAIMM (particularly contributing papers to the Journal), and increasing SAIMM events in Namibia. I see a need for, and will support, external collaboration with other geosciences and engineering professional bodies to optimize public reporting of mineral resources and reserves.

Other information

An enabler, big-picture view, open minded and approachable. Married, with 2 children. Fredrick is a keen golfer. ♦

 

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Johannesburg Branch

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Ian Ashmole

 

 

Short history of previous experience

Ian started in the mining industry as a learner official with Rand Mines in 1985, and graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with a bachelor's degree in mining engineering in 1989. He worked at Durban Roodepoort Deep, Douglas Colliery, and Harmony Gold Mine before leaving Rand Mines in 1993 to take up the position of mine manager of a small gold mine on the East Rand.

Ian became involved in the dimension stone mining industry in 1994, when he joined Kudu Granite as Group Mining Engineer, with a mandate of transforming the company's traditional quarry operations into modern professionally-run mines through the application of geological knowledge, formal mine planning, new technology and methods, and professional management techniques. By 1996, the company's operations were recognized in the industry as being on a par with the best run operations in Europe, and the standards developed at Kudu were a major factor in the acquisition of Kudu by the Marlin Group in 1997. The health and safety and environmental performance of the Rustenburg Division of Marlin, where Ian was the General Manager from 2001 to 2005, was recognized by both the DME and environmental pressure groups as being among the best in the South African mining industry. In 2005, Ian became Technical Director of the Marlin Group, with responsibility for the operation of all quarries in southern Africa and exploration in Africa as well as consulting work for the group's operations in Brazil.

In 2008, Ian left the Marlin Group to establish an independent consultancy. While his initial focus was mainly, but not exclusively, in the dimension stone sector, he has subsequently consulted in the gold, uranium, platinum, chrome, and industrial minerals sectors. Ian is a generalist, and while his technical expertise is valued in feasibility and due diligence work, he also provides project and operational management assistance, and is widely experienced in the fields of health and safety, environmental management, and mineral rights.

Ian has travelled extensively in Africa, South America, Europe, and the USA during the course of his career. Ian is a keen runner, having completed five Comrades Marathons, trail runner and trail run course designer, and mountain biker. ♦

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Democratie 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 10 years. His expertise includes:

• Underground mine design, lay-out, 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 coordinations.

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 Gecamines - Sodimico,

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

 

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Pretoria Branch

 



Wolter de Graaf

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Wolter obtained his Mining Engineering (Hons) degree at the University of Pretoria during 1989. After four years of practical mining experience on a deep-level gold mine and an opencast coal mine, Wolter joined AEL. Responsibilities at AEL included sales and marketing, training of AEL's technical personal on explosives engineers' level, consulting on drilling and blasting and downstream benefits throughout the Africa Continent. Technical projects included extensive blast vibration monitoring and blast designs near operational grain silos and underground dewatering chambers, Mine to mill initiatives on various open-pit operations and improved dragline efficiencies though cast blasting.

During 2009 Wolter joined the Mining Engineering Department at the University of Pretoria as a senior lecturer with Explosives Engineering and Surface Mining as core subjects.

Wolter is registered as a Professional Engineer with ECSA and is a member of SAIMM and ISEE. ♦

 

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Zambian Branch

 

Henry Zimba

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Henry is a Metallurgical Engineer with over 29 years experience in base metal mineral processing plants and research and development. He obtained his Bachelors Degree in Mineral Sciences and Metallurgy (B.Min.Sc.) and is a member of the Engineering Institution of Zambia. Henry is currently self-employed. ♦

 

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.         [ Links ]

2. Maleba, S. and Jager, T. 2005. Best practice guidelines for the mining and rehabilitation of granite mines in the BritsRustenburg areas of SA.         [ Links ]

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

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

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

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

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

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.         [ Links ]

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.         [ Links ] ♦

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