Aveng Mining subsidiary and mining contractor Aveng Moolmans has been awarded a five-year extension of its contract with the Tshipi Borwa openpit manganese mine, in the Northern Cape.

The mine is owned by empowerment company Tshipi e Ntle Manganese Mining, and the contract extension came into effect on September 1.

Aveng Moolmans says that this second-cycle contract extension was won following a competitive open tender process in a tough operating environment and is testament to the company’s leadership position in surface mining.

The company was awarded the initial Tshipi Borwa contract to mine overburden and manganese ore in October 2011, and began its operation on November 29 that year.

The company offers Tshipi Borwa a full mining service, including bush clearing, topsoil stripping, drilling and blasting, loading and hauling of ore as well as waste mining and dewatering.

The primary equipment used on this site comprises three excavators, eighteen 100 t trucks and three drill rigs, as well as the necessary ancillary equipment.

Aveng Mining MD Stuart White says: “Aveng Moolmans is deligh- ted to continue [its] working relationship at the Tshipi Borwa project, one of the largest expor- ters of manganese ore globally.”

Tshipi e Ntle CEO Brendan Robinson says: “Tshipi has over the course of the last five years developed a partnership business model through which we strive to deliver value to all our diverse stakeholders.” He adds: “Aveng Moolmans has over the course of the last five years earned our respect and has taken its place as our trusted mining partner. We look forward to continue building this mutually beneficial relationship into the future.”

Meanwhile, White says: “Looking forward, the integration of Aveng Moolmans and Aveng Shafts & Underground into the combined Aveng Mining will bode well for future projects, as it has created a formidable player in mining contracting around the world. Aveng Mining has operations in both surface and underground mining, which make it an effective and reliable mining partner of choice for our clients.”

Aveng Moolmans has an established safety record across a number of projects. Its operations are guided by a robust risk and sustainability philosophy, which includes safety, health, environment and quality management. This philosophy, combined with its safety performance among its peers and its ‘Home Without Harm, Everyone, Everyday’ mantra, was fundamental to the contract extension.

About Aveng Moolmans
Aveng Moolmans has over 40 years’ experience in hard and soft rock environments, operating in remote and challenging locations. In addition to the Tshipi Borwa project, the company works on nine other notable projects throughout Africa.

Its gold mining projects include Iduapriem, in Ghana; Star and Comet, in Tanzania; Sadiola, in Mali; and Siguiri, in Guinea. It also has operations on the Kolomela and Sishen iron-ore mines in the Northern Cape.

Aveng Moolmans currently has one coal project, which is the Smaldeel mini-pit coal mine, in Witbank. It has also one nickel and one uranium project, in Botswana and Namibia respectively.