In line with its vision to be the premier mining contractor in Africa, Moolmans, the South Africa-based contract mining subsidiary of the Aveng group, has entered a new five-year contract with long-standing client, Tshipi é Ntle. 

Moolmans’ relationship with the mining company first began in October 2011. The initial five-year contract was a ‘greenfields’ opportunity, with Moolmans establishing the entire open cut operation to provide a full mining service for overburden and manganese ore. There have been many changes to the market since then which saw the contract renewed and revised in line with prevailing financial and operating conditions in the mining industry. Moolmans is again providing a full mining service to South Africa’s biggest exporter of manganese, which includes bush clearing, top soil stripping, drilling and blasting, loading and haul of ore and waste at the Tshipi Borwa mine in the Kalahari Manganese Field (KMF), in the Northern Cape. 

“The renewal of this contract is testament to the value-added relationships we have with our customers and confirms our reputation in the industry for exceptional reliability and performance,” says Moolmans MD Jerome Govender. 

“We are delighted that we will continue to play a significant part in the future of the world’s largest manganese-bearing region.”

The Tshipi Borwa mine is an open-cast mine that operates through drill-and-blast and load-and-haul mining techniques. The contractor-operator model has resulted in the mine becoming one of the lowest-cost manganese ore exporters globally and has enabled a flexibly scaled production process that can respond to manganese ore price volatilities and market conditions.

This contract award will result in significant investment in equipment, people, processes and systems. It is firmly aligned with the mining contractor’s aspirations to be the leader in mining solutions and signifies a key strategic milestone for Moolmans, which is actively selecting and entering long-term and commercially viable contracts to deliver on this vision.

Moolmans has been known to operate one of the largest and most diverse fleets of mining equipment in Africa to suit various operations and client requirements. The company can also supplement this fleet with specialised and additional equipment if the project demands it. This was an important part of the new contract award.

Moolmans, with the support of Tshipi é Ntle, ordered 16 new Cat 785D trucks, five of which are already on site and awaiting commissioning. The remaining 11 trucks are expected to be fully operational by June 2023. Additionally, two new Liebherr excavators and four new bulldozers are on back order, together with an existing Liebherr excavator which is undergoing a full original equipment manufacturer refurbishment. 

This is complemented by the company’s sophisticated maintenance software and service excellence which Moolmans deploys to achieve the highest levels of equipment reliability and best-in-industry production. To ensure maximum availability, utilisation and productivity, Moolmans has developed effective and accredited maintenance systems tailored to maximise equipment economic life in a sustainable, reliable and predictable manner. 

As a contract mining company with more than 60 years’ experience across the African continent, Moolmans’ success is attributed to an executive team that brings diverse expertise and extensive experience, along with a new energy and innovative ideas, to invigorate growth of the business, as well as a workforce of more than 3 000 employees, including skilled and experienced operators; disciplined project managers; qualified engineers; safety, health, environment and quality professionals; and a range of support staff, all grounded in a culture of customer centricity. This enables the business to work closely with customers and suppliers to identify and implement improvements that will drive down unit costs and optimise efficiencies.

Aligned to Aveng’s purpose of providing a better life, Moolmans is intently focused on improving the quality of life for, and bringing economic benefit to, all its stakeholders, including employees, communities, customers and investors. This also means creating opportunities for employment, training, and development.

“For us, being Africa’s premier contract miner means that not only do we demonstrate the highest standards of safety, keen environmental management and exemplary social responsibility, but our people also love working for us, our host communities celebrate our presence, and our customers choose us to execute large and complex projects,” adds Govender.