Every Friday, SAfm’s radio anchor Sakina Kamwendo speaks to Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News & Mining Weekly. Reported here is this Friday’s At the Coalface transcript:

Kamwendo: South Africa’s DRDGOLD is spending R10-billion on five new gold-from-waste projects.

Creamer: This is music to the ears. We need a lot of investment of this nature. The private sector is doing it and particularly in gold. Implementing this capital expenditure is South Africa's DRDGOLD, which is the longest-listed company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. It has been listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for 131 years. Now, what they are doing is not digging holes anymore and sinking shafts.

They go along to those mine dumps, they go along to the tailings dams, the slimes dams and they apply a technology where they can extract the gold from that. They are going to do this across a big area in South Africa at the moment because, out on the East Rand they have got Ergo. There are going to be several projects there. Then on the Far West Rand, beyond the Westonaria and Carletonville areas, they are going to do something even bigger. So, this involves recovering gold and then restoring the environment. It is very important that the environment is also restored because these dumps have been left behind. You don't want to have them there forever. DRDGOLD is recovering the gold at a time when the gold price is good, so you can really extract it. They’ve got an abundance of waste material to retreat, environment to restore, so it’s a really nice win-win situation.

Kamwendo: More than R900-million is being spent at a platinum group metals shaft project in North West province.

Creamer: So, in the next two years, R964-million worth of capital will be expended on what is a shaft project and the shaft is called K4. This is the Marikana area in the North West province and it is the platinum group metals  that they are going for. The company expending the capital is Sibanye-Stillwater, also listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. But, what they are going to give there through this expenditure is an additional 48-years of mine life. I repeat that – 48-years of mine life they will give to this K4 shaft at Marikana. That’s very good for the Rustenburg municipal area.

Over time, Sibanye-Stillwater bought three adjoining platinum group metals mines from three different mining companies. As a single joined entity, Sibanye-Stillwater’s united mines extend across 70 kilometres, stretching from Brits to Rustenburg and then this Marikana one is in the middle. They have an homogeneous orebody that they are working on, which gives them a lot of flexibility at a time when we don't know what the platinum price will look like in the next 20-years. We know that in the next ten years, it looks okay, but in the ten years that follow, Sibanye-Stillwater may have to mine very fast to meet demand or mine much slower if demand declines, so flexible options are very good to have and that is exactly what the 70-kilometre stretch of homogeneous orebody provides.

Kamwendo: South Africa’s State-owned Mintek is targeting global mineral research recognition for itself.

Creamer: I have given a lot of history going back 130-years. Our economy here is largely built on minerals and metals and if you look at Mintek, that belongs to us. That is State-owned. So, you and I really own it and it’s showing a lot of keenness at the moment to do a lot more work. It is 92 years old and if you go along to Randburg, on 200 Malibongwe Drive, there you will find Mintek and it is impressive. What they have built there is good and what they are saying now is, let us do more work. We are keen to work, particularly in platinum group metals.

Platinum group metals have become very important for South Africa, and they are saying we can do a lot of research that is going to benefit you, the mining companies of South Africa and the citizens of South Africa. I think people are beginning to listen and hopefully so because a lot of the research and development work that is done on our valuable platinum group metals is done outside of South Africa and it would be great if much more could be done inside the country by our State-owned research organisation. The people there say they are willing to work very hard, and it sounds like they are very keen. So, hopefully, the mines will give them a greater chance to do a lot more research and development work, not only in platinum group metals but in all our metals and minerals.

Kamwendo: Indeed, just a quick question, Martin. Is there a part of Mintek that is open to the public? Can we go in and see what goes on in there?

Creamer: You know, I've often found it so difficult to get in there. You come in, you park your car. They want to know who you are. They look you up and down. You’ve got to fill in forms. If there is an event there, then you go flying through. But when there is not an event, the security is quite tight.

Kamwendo: Thanks very much. Martin Creamer is publishing, editor of Engineering News & Mining Weekly.