Mining Developments News

Atlas Copco, a leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions, has agreed to acquire the assets of Renegade Drilling Supplies Proprietary Ltd., a South African manufacturer and distributor of drilling consumables for mining exploration. The business will become part of Epiroc South Africa (Pty) Ltd.’s Rock Drilling Tools division. Epiroc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Atlas Copco Group, was created when Atlas Copco split into two separate international groups of companies in 2017. This development saw Atlas Copco’s Mining & Rock Excavation Technique Business Area together with its Construction Tools division form part of Epiroc with a mining and civil engineering sector focus. Epiroc AB is planned to be listed on the stock exchange in 2018. The industrial businesses remain with Atlas Copco. Renegade Drilling is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and sells its products throughout the Southern African region. The company manufactures and distributes mining exploratio...

Global engineering, project delivery and asset management group, DRA, has completed an Australian acquisition to advance its growth objectives in the Asia-Pacific region. Engineering, project delivery and contract operations specialist, DRA, has achieved another major milestone in its international growth strategy with the execution of an agreement to acquire Minnovo, a Perth based engineering company. Minnovo will expand DRA’s growing Australian footprint and add further depth to DRA’s metallurgical, engineering, procurement, project management, construction and commissioning capabilities in Australia, as well as enhancing on-the-ground resources to clients in the APAC region. Wray Carvelas, Chief Executive Officer of DRA said, “The acquisition of Minnovo will add key resources and experience to DRA’s Australian capabilities and will enhance the Group’s overall strength in the design and construction of processing facilities across a wide range of minerals including ferrous meta...

The Mine.D: Zero Harm hackathon, hosted by the Tshimologong Precinct and the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS), has announced the three overall winners of the digitally-inspired hackathon. Focused on Mixed Reality (MR) and Internet of Things (IoT) within the health and safety space of the mining sector, the teams that entered were exposed to the wonders of technology, including demonstrations and one-on-one coaching from industry experts. Lesley Williamson, CEO, Tshimologong Precinct, says that the top three entries were inspiring and very relevant to the health and safety of the mining environment: “I was impressed by the depth of knowledge and skill of the entrants. As we hoped, the results address very real issues and concerns within the mining environment and all utilise technology in innovative ways.” While she says the judging process was not easy, the first place was awarded to team SystemDex (Sikhanyiso Ngetu, Mosima Matlhwana, and Menzi Mohlobo),...

As summer holidays approach and millions of South Africans prepare to embark on long journeys the issue of road safety is once again top of mind. One young scientist who competed at this year’s Eskom Expo for Young Scientists International Science Fair has come up with an ingenious solution to help prevent accidents on South Africa’s roads. Samirah Kaka, a grade 9 learner from Kismet Combined School in Vryburg in the North West is concerned about the number of people who are killed on South Africa’s road every year, so she set about developing an innovative device to prevent accidents. Her device is called ICUC or ‘’I can see what you can see’’ and is fitted to trucks so that motorists following behind them can see exactly what the truck driver sees. Kaka placed a camera inside the vehicle on the dashboard and fitted a screen to the back of the truck. The camera captured the front view that the truck driver had and transmitted this to the screen at the back, so that motorist b...

Johannesburg, 15 December 2017: Today Alphamin Resources Corp. took a secondary listing on the Non-ferrous Metals sector of the JSE AltX Board. The company is developing the Bisie Tin Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has targeted South Africa to raise capital to fund the development of the mine. Alphamin Resources has its primary listing on the Toronto Venture Exchange in Canada. The company holds, as its principal investment, a controlling interest (80.75%) in Alphamin Bisie Mining SA, the vehicle which operates the Bisie Tine Mine. Donna Nemer, Director of Capital Markets at the JSE, says the JSE is proud to provide a platform for companies in the rest of Africa to raise capital in the South African market. “As the JSE we believe we have an important role to play in the development of not only the South African economy, but also that of the greater African continent. A listing on the JSE gives companies like Alphamin access to our deep and highly liquid capital mark...

Johannesburg – 24 November 2017 - Global engineering and project delivery company, DRA, announced the appointment of Christo Visser to its team in the Asia-Pacific Region. Christo takes up the role of Senior Vice President: Origination to implement DRA’s growth strategy in Australia, South East Asia, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Visser holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA (International Business), from The Central Queensland University in Australia, and brings with him extensive industry experience. Previously, Christo has guided organisational Business Development, at a senior level, for major players in the industry. Pierre Julien, Executive Vice President Origination, says that this appointment coincides with DRA’s ambitious growth strategy not just in the region but globally. Following the acquisition of RLH, PGBI and Met-Chem this year, it is clear that the organisation is focused on advancing its footprint into the global market place. DRA also co...

On Friday, 17 November 2017 the Department of Labour published the National Minimum Wage Bill that is set to introduce a minimum wage of R 20 for each ordinary hour worked from May 2018. Businesses need to familiarise themselves with the National Minimum Wage Bill and the proposed amendments to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Labour Relations Act to ensure they understand how these legislative changes will impact their business in the new year. This is according to Advocate Tertius Wessel, Legal Manager of Strata-G Labour Solutions, who says the approval of the National Minimum Wage Bill is expected to result in changes to other employment laws. “Proposed changes to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Labour Relations Act were published in the Government Gazette on 10 November and although these proposed changes still need to be adopted by parliament, it is important for employers to familiarise themselves with them and assess their potential impact on the b...

“Driver fatigue is one of the greatest challenges faced by South Africa’s truck drivers. This is why we are so adamant that our drivers take regular breaks and get the necessary rest when they are on long trips,” says Arnoux Maré, CEO of Innovative Solutions Group TM and Managing Director of subsidiary, Innovative Staffing Solutions, which outsources its 7,500 full time employees to clients in the transport. mining, industrial and security industries. The business recently invested in a Renault Kerax truck to conduct truck driver training for its own and its clients’ drivers. “Not only does our on-site truck benefit our clients by significantly reducing downtime for their trucks, but it ensures all drivers are properly trained in safety regulations and provided with measures to guarantee their own and others’ safety on the roads,” adds Maré. While drivers should only work nine hours a day, six days a week, the Bargaining Council permits them to work a maximum of 30 hours overti...