Building and construction materials manufacturer and supplier Brikor broke ground at its Grootfontein mine, in Nigel, Gauteng.
The mine is adjacent to the company’s fully-owned Ilangabi coal mine.
The Grootfontein mine, owned by Kopanela Mining – a subsidiary of Brikor – is expected to create around 300 new jobs over the next five years and is expected to produce 50 000 t of bricks a month with the potential to increase production further.
Kopanela Mining is a Level 2 broad-based black economic empowerment vehicle formed in accordance with the 2018 Mining Charter to secure future prospecting and mining rights in South Africa.
Brikor also operates two brick-making plants in Nigel, with production capacities in excess of 160-million bricks a year, including clay semi-face and stock bricks for the construction industry.
Ilangabi has a mining capacity of about 800 000 t of clay and 700 000 t of coal a year.