Prefabricated building manufacturer Kwikspace Modular Buildings, in June, completed a temporary accommodation project for the construction team currently working to relocate the former Dingleton community to Kathu to make way for Anglo American-owned iron-ore major Kumba Iron Ore’s expansion operations at the Sishen mine, in the Northern Cape.

“Owing to the robust nature of Kwikspace’s products, manufactured using polyurethane panels, Kumba’s construction team can look forward to comfortable accommodation, where temperatures are excellently controlled, noise is reduced and the ingress of dust, water and insects is prevented,” explains Kwikspace sales executive Roberto Campos.

He tells Mining Weekly that the project, which got under way in March, involved erecting a camp that could accommodate 1 000 occupants. This comprised 129 prefabricated accommodation units, a kitchen, a 1 464 m² diner and a 164 m² mobile recrea- tion building. Twenty change rooms, ablution units and two 141 m² site offices were also provided.

Campos says the Dingleton settlement was only 500 m away from Sishen mine’s openpit boundary and, therefore, too close to the mine in terms of blasting distance. This prompted the idea to resettle Dingleton residents in the town of Kathu, 30 km away from the mine.

“The lives of people in the mining town were in danger and their quality of life was negatively affected as a result of the blasting activity that was taking place at the mine, which created high levels of noise and dusty conditions,” notes Campos.

He adds that Kwikspace has successfully completed several large-scale accommodation projects throughout sub-Saharan Africa, including in Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi, and, as a result, it has earned a reputation as a reliable and competent supplier of rapidly deployable buildings.

Although the Dingleton project was a significant undertaking, Kwikspace completed it successfully, owing to the company's more than 40 years of experience in manufacturing prefabricated buildings.

“The experience was more exciting than daunting for us and we are confident that our contribution to this project will have a positive impact on the development of the mining industry in this area,” concludes Campos.