FINANCE & LEGAL
CORPORATE PROFILE MENAR
EAST
MANGANESE A welcome addition to Northern Cape mining sector
L
ong renowned for its strong focus on operations that genuinely uplift and empower local communities, Menar expects a similar impact from its maiden manganese mine. The commissioning of the East Manganese mine in Hotazel, Northern Cape, marks a new chapter for the Menar group and the country. East Manganese is expected to produce approximately 30 000 tonnes per month of run-of-mine manganese ore, once at peak production. Sitatunga Resources, whose major shareholder is investment company Menar, originally acquired East Manganese in 2018, from prospecting and mining company Sehunelo Group’s subsidiary Southern Ambition. “This is yet another indication that we strongly believe in South Africa as a conducive investment destination, where regulators are responsive and efficient. We are committed to developing assets and creating jobs. As a matter of principle, we don’t sit on our assets, we develop them,” says Menar managing director Vuslat Bayoglu. “We are also committed to making an impactful contribution to host mining communities, by investing in projects and initiatives that genuinely uplift and empower local communities. We give priority to employing local people and purchasing local goods and services by integrating them into our supply chains, wherever possible.” As part of this skills development approach, East Manganese also has a training centre that teaches workers skills, for example how to operate the various mining machines – from articulated dump trucks and excavators to
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dozers and the like. Other training includes blasting assistant training and training for health and safety representatives. “This training is provided to new employees with the necessary certifications and as part of refresher courses for employees. It is critical that all employees are certified to carry out the tasks assigned to them and that they are correctly trained to do so, while upskill of local workers is also important to ensure that we improve their long-term employability prospects,” he says.
30 000
Tonnes of manganese ore produced per month at peak production Menar chairman Mpumelelo Mkhabela says anyone following business news headlines regularly will find some consistent and interrelated messages. “From investors, you will hear of the need for speedy regulatory approvals for business licences. From the environmentally conscious, you will hear
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of the decarbonisation of economies. From policymakers worried about economic slowdown, you will hear of the need for economic recovery,” he says. “In its maiden manganese operation, Menar and its partner, Sehunelo Group, have combined all these concerns. On business licence approvals, East Manganese showcased what government could do to speed up investments. We invested in the project in 2018 and in September 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc across all economies, we started mining the box cut. “East Manganese could serve as a model of speedy regulatory approval by all the relevant licensing authorities, including the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.” Regarding environmental consciousness, notes Mkhabela, Menar is excited to be involved in the extraction of a mineral used in the manufacturing of steel, which is then used in renewable energy equipment such as solar panels and wind turbines. Manganese is also an input in batteries for electric vehicles. “Finally, on the economic recovery front, there is no doubt that steel will be crucial to massive expenditure by governments as they try to revive their economies through infrastructure projects. “This investment demonstrates that Menar remains committed to South Africa, and to its focus on ensuring that the country’s economy, the mining industry, local residents, and especially the unemployed youth in the Northern Cape, benefit from East Manganese and other mining projects in the province that are currently being evaluated,” he says. ■
