OVERVIEW
Mining
Uranium is under the spotlight in the Karoo.
B
eaufort West is the latest focus of attention for new mining in the Western Cape. Whether or not South Africa needs nuclear power is a hotly debated topic, but Tasman RSA (which includes Australian-listed Peninsula Energy and a local group called Lukisa JV) has a business plan for extracting uranium in the Karoo and is submitting environmental reports. Dr Stefan Cramer has come out strongly (at www.karoospace. co.za) against the proposed mining, arguing that the environment will be irrevocably harmed and that funding behind the project comes from Russian “oligarch billionaires”. Sixteen rare earth minerals have been identified north of Vanrhynsdorp, with the most prevalent being cerium, an important component of catalytic converters. The acquisition in 2015 by Steenkampskraal Thorium Limited (STL) of the shares of Rareco has given it the right to the rare earth deposits at the Steenkampskraal monazite mine. STL, which already had the thorium rights, is an associate of Thor Energy in Norway. A mineral sands project on the West Coast near Lutzville and Koekenaap has started sending product to China. Australian miner Mineral Commodities (MRC) says it will spend R5-billion to 2019 in search of zircon, rutile, ilmenite and garnet. Namakwa Sands is a mineral sands operation on the West Coast, owned by Tronox. In 2017, South African resources company Exxaro sold some of its shares but retained enough of a stake for Tronox to keep its BEE certification. The company has a mine and concentration plant at Brand-se-Baai and a mineral separation plant at Koekenaap near Lutzville about 350km from Cape Town. Ilemnite, rutile and zircon are extracted at this site and then taken to the company’s smelter at Saldanha Bay.
ONLINE RESOURCES Chamber of Mines of South Africa: www.chamberofmines.org.za Council for Geoscience: www.geoscience.org.za Geological Society of South Africa: www.gssa.org.za National Department of Mineral Resources: www.dmr.gov.za
WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018
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SECTOR INSIGHT Ilemnite, rutile and zircon are found on the West Coast. Zircon is used in tile glazing and ilmenite is melted to become pig iron for use in engine blocks. The left-over slag is used as pigmentation in paints. The Cape Bentonite Mine (with five quarries) near Heidelberg is run by Ecca Holdings with another site east of Knysna at Roode Fontein. Dimension stone occurs around Vanrhynsdorp (which also has some gypsum) and mediumgrain granite is found at Paarl. Limestone for cement, agricultural lime and feed lime is extracted at several sites in the province’s western regions while kaolin is found in Noordhoek and Somerset West. Ball clay is mined in the Albertina district by G&W Base and Industrial Minerals, a subsidiary of the Zimco Group. Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) has operations near Riebeeck-West and Piketberg (De Hoek). Slasto and building stone is quarried near Clanwilliam. Consol quarries glass sand near Philippi.