Mention Redpath Africa Limited to many people in the mining industry and raiseboring is likely to be one of the first things that comes to mind. It is a capability the company has built a strong reputation for, and one that remains an important part of its offering. However, it is no longer the whole story.

Redpath’s capabilities span shaft sinking, raiseboring, conventional and lateral development, underground construction and mining services. Increasingly, the company is positioning itself not simply as a specialist contractor brought in to deliver a particular component of a project, but as a solutions provider capable of supporting clients across the underground mine development lifecycle.

That shift is central to the next phase of the business and to the strategy of its Managing Director, Stuart White. “We build and develop underground mines,” says White, a description that captures the broader construction and development focus of Redpath’s work. Underground mining projects are complex, multidisciplinary undertakings, and clients are increasingly looking for contractors that can bring together the specialist expertise, equipment, people and project management required to deliver them.

Combining established strengths

Redpath’s global structure gives the African business an additional advantage. Capabilities developed across the group’s international operations can be brought into African projects when required, allowing Redpath Africa Limited to combine its established strengths in areas such as shaft work and raiseboring with specialist expertise from elsewhere in the organisation.

Recent projects illustrate that breadth. At the Valterra (previously Anglo American Platinum) Mogalakwena Mine in Limpopo, Redpath, in partnership with Redpath Australia Limited, delivered decline development and site setup for mine expansion, including a 3 000 m exploration decline, portal construction, site facilities, electrical infrastructure, blasting and ground support.

At Maseve Platinum Mine, Redpath Africa Limited served as principal general contractor, delivering mine development, engineering and technical services and underground construction. Together, these projects demonstrate the company’s ability to bring multiple disciplines together around the requirements of an underground mine.

The strategy behind the shift

For White, broadening the market’s understanding of Redpath Africa is part of a wider transformation of the business. When he joined Redpath in January 2022, he and his team developed a strategy centred on three priorities, namely, to stabilise the business, reset it, and then grow it.

The first two stages required addressing several challenges, including underperforming contracts, litigation, balance-sheet pressures and problematic joint ventures. At the same time, the leadership structure was strengthened, with new executives appointed across operations, finance and human resources. With much of that work now complete, the focus has shifted decisively towards growth.

However, White is clear that growth cannot come at the expense of execution. “I am not one for a shotgun approach,” he says. “I would rather spend more time assessing the risk, assessing whether the fit is appropriate, and whether we can make a success of it.”

That measured approach is particularly important in contracting, where taking on too much work too quickly can create its own risks. For Redpath Africa Limited, the objective is therefore controlled growth built on a business that is operationally and commercially stronger.

Making the most of a global network

Different parts of the organisation have developed particular areas of expertise. Africa is strong in traditional shaft sinking, raiseboring, shaft-related work and conventional development, while the Australian business focuses on high-speed mechanised lateral development. The ability to bring this expertise together is increasingly important to Redpath Africa Limited’s offering.

The company is already using internal arrangements with its Australian counterparts to introduce high-speed mechanised lateral development expertise into South African projects, giving clients access to a service offering that extends beyond the traditional perception of the African operation. For White, this collaboration is more than a corporate advantage. It is a practical way of giving clients access to the right expertise for the project in front of them.

Delivering value beyond the metre rate

The broader proposition also changes the conversation Redpath has with its clients. In a contracting environment where cost per metre can be an obvious point of comparison, White argues that clients need to look at the economics of the entire project.

He points to Redpath’s project for Valterra, where monthly development production recently reached 367 m, as an example of the value that can come from combining capability, expertise and execution. The question, he suggests, is not simply whether a contractor offers the lowest cost per metre, but how quickly it can get a project to production and what that means for the client’s overall return.

“Sometimes you need to differentiate between price and cost,” says White. It is a philosophy that also informs his preference for more collaborative relationships between contractors and mining companies, with risks jointly identified and allocated to the party best able to manage them. The ultimate objective is to become a strategic partner rather than simply a supplier.

An engineer’s perspective on mining

White’s own career helps explain why this broader view of underground mine development comes naturally to him. A civil engineer by training, he entered mining after the business he was working for shifted from large-scale civil construction into open-pit mining. He subsequently spent more than three decades in the industry, primarily in open-cut mining but also gaining exposure to underground operations and holding senior leadership positions across Africa.

That background has given him a perspective that bridges engineering, construction, mining and commercial management. It also aligns closely with the nature of Redpath’s work. “Whether it is shaft sinking, raiseboring, or development, we do not do a lot of mining production really per se,” explains White. “Most of what we do is construction-related, which is important as we seek to reposition ourselves around underground mine development.”

A targeted approach to African growth

The repositioning comes at a time when White sees opportunities emerging across Africa, but he is equally clear that Redpath Africa will not pursue every opportunity simply because it exists. With 54 countries on the continent, a broad, undifferentiated expansion strategy would be difficult to execute effectively.

Instead, the company is targeting selected markets, including Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania, as well as potentially one or two territories in West Africa. The opportunities are also evolving. In several African markets, particularly in gold, mines that began as open-pit operations are reaching the point where underground development becomes the logical next step.

For Redpath, that creates an opportunity to apply its broader development capabilities, and particularly the combination of African expertise and international mechanised development capability, to help clients make that transition. Recent engagement at the Ngezi Mining and Technology Exhibition in Zimbabwe reflects this focus on building relationships and developing opportunities in selected mining regions.

For White, the opportunity is therefore not simply to grow Redpath Africa Limited, but to ensure that the market recognises the breadth of expertise and solutions it can bring to underground mine development.