Several zinc mining projects, such as the development of JSE-listed Vedanta Resources’ Gamsberg zinc reserve, in the Northern Cape, will ensure that zinc remains a priority for South Africa’s mining industry and government, says International Zinc Association Southern Africa (Izasa) regional director Rob White.

He tells Mining Weekly that global diversified natural metals and mining company Vedanta Resources released tenders for the development of the Gamsberg deposit in May.

“This will provide the impetus required to renew the industry,” he says, adding that, with projects like Gamsberg under way, the South African zinc industry has a promising future and will continue to grow.

Vedanta Resources intends to start mining zinc in the Gamsberg reserve in the near future, with plans to develop the operation as a mine with an associated concentrator plant. Once fully operational, the Gamsberg mine will see Vedanta producing more than a million tons a year of zinc concentrate.

The Gamsberg reserve currently has a defined ore resource of 186-million tons, with more than 250-million tons of potential ore resources and hydrometallurgical processing capability.

Meanwhile, White also cites the rapidly growing demand for zinc in the fertiliser industry, adding that South Africa has been applying zinc in this way for more than 50 years. However the opportunities are immense in the rest of Africa.

“Zinc is an essential element in the human body, as it is required in more than 300 enzyme reactions. “Therefore, adding zinc to fertiliser enables plants to absorb the zinc, which, in turn, is passed on to humans,” he explains.

Challenges
Despite promising developments like the Gamsberg project, White tells Mining Weekly, the zinc industry is still facing several challenges, such as the recent strike in the engineering and metals industry, which uses zinc in the galvanising process to prevent rusting.

”Industry players, including galvanisers, have been locked in an employment dispute with their employees and, as a result, most are currently closed in Gauteng, although some are operating away from the Gauteng conurbation,” he says.

White adds that the galvanising sector remains fragmented and, while it is a significant sector in South Africa, it still has to explore new development opportunities and markets abroad.

“The country’s galvanising industry is coping but, with the construction industry as its main market, it has to wait for a building industry revival and for government’s infrastructure programme roll-out to fully get under way,” he says.

White further mentions that the zinc alloys industry and some industries that use zinc as a constituent element, such as the automotive industry, have declined considerably in recent years owing to imports that flood these industries and a general loss of competitiveness in these industries.

“Nevertheless, I am hopeful that South Africa will become a strong zinc-producing nation. This will also grow confidence in the industry,” he concludes.