Capital expenditure of R8.7-billion is planned at the integrated Gamsberg-Skorpion mining-and-refining zinc project, in the Northern Cape and Namibia, in the next three-years by Black Mountain Mining, in which Vedanta’s Sesa Sterlite subsidiary holds 74% and South Africa’s Exxaro Resources provides black economic-empowerment accreditation with 26%. At the project stakeholder briefing in Aggeneys earlier this month, a side-viewed Mineral Resources Deputy Minister Godfrey Oliphant is seen feeding celebratory cake to Vedanta Zinc International CEO Kishor Kumar, as Northern Cape Premier Sylvia Lucas (extreme right) does more cake cutting. The first phase of the Gamsberg openpit mine is scheduled to produce its first ore in 2017/18, with 1 500 construction jobs and 500 operational jobs being created. (Also see report on page 8 of this edition of Mining Weekly.)