JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – LSE-listed Afarak has secured a new-order mining right for its Vlakpoort mine, on the western limb of South Africa’s Bushveld Complex.
The preparatory work on the mine, which has a minimum of 6.6-million tonnes of proven chrome reserves and 330 314 oz of platinum-group metals, will start during the second quarter.
“Afarak continues on its path to further extend its mining capacity in South Africa. Works are expected to commence toward the beginning of [the second] quarter and mining is expected to ramp up to a steady state of around 20 000 t in [the third] quarter,” said CEO Guy Konsbruck.
The surface right was acquired in 2011, after the Department of Mineral Resources granted the prospecting right to Destiny Springs Investments, a subsidiary of Afarak.
Since then, extensive exploration work was conducted, which included geological drilling, trenching and bulk sampling of the LG5 and LG6 seams.
The availability of Vlakpoort ore will further consolidate the position of Afarak’s Mogale Alloys processing plant as a quality ferrochrome smelter in South Africa.