Manganese mining concern, Purity Manganese, has invested more than N$100 million in the modernisation of its manganese mine in Otjosondu, 200km north of Windhoek, in what the company’s management says is part of their bid to start the beneficiation of manganese in Namibia.
Purity, one of only two manganese mines in Namibia, has imported an assortment of heavy duty mining equipment comprising of excavators, crushers, conveyor belts and other components from China and South Africa at an estimated cost of N$100 million.
“We are in the process of replacing the crushers and modernising the operations of the mine to increase output and improve quality of ore,” said Purity Manganese Director Boris Bannai, an industrialist who has been in the manganese mining and smelting industry for over 20 years.
“We are installing nine new jigs, new conveyor belts and state-of-the-art technology that will significantly increase our output.”
Output of manganese ore from Purity is currently 10,000 tonnes per month, and is expected to increase to 50,000 tonnes per month after the installation of the new equipment, which Bannai said will be complete by June.
In addition to the installation of new plants and components on the mine, Purity this week reported that it had also acquired 30 haulage trucks and 25 trailers to transport manganese ore from the mine in Otjosondu to a railway siding in the nearby town of Okahandja, from where it is transported to Walvis Bay for shipping.
“We are putting people in four shifts, and will soon be recruiting an additional 150 workers. We will keep TransNamib and NamPort busy once the new plants are fully operational,” Bannai said, adding that the company was expecting an additional 11 containers of equipment and additional earth moving equipment to arrive on May 5.
Manganese ore and manganese alloy have seen a significant growth in demand on the global market, a trend that has been attributed partly to the growing use of manganese products as additives in unleaded petrol to boost octane ratings and reduce engine knocking.
Steelmaking and iron making account for between 85 percent to 95 percent of the global demand for manganese. The metal is also used in coins in the United States and lately, in the European Union, where manganese is used in the one and two Euro coins.
Purity currently ships its manganese ore to affiliated smelting companies located in China, and in future looking to expand its export to different countries. Manganese production in Gabon, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia and China has seen a marked increase in the last few years, increasing competition among suppliers on the global market.
As a result, miners have been pressed to locally beneficiate more manganese ore into high-value manganese alloy to cut down on logistical expenses and increase their exposure to the global market.
Purity disclosed plans to install three furnaces at its mine at Otjosondu by the end of 2009, a move that would allow the company to smelt its own manganese ore and will create 500 additional jobs.
The mine has faced operational safety concerns in recent weeks, and as a result, Bannai hired a new mine manager, David Jacobs, who has been implementing an operational safety rollout programme that he says will involve the training of employees in mining skills and safety.
“I am a firm believer of the doctrine that says no job is too important to be done too safely,” said Jacobs, who has worked at mines in Lubumbashi, South Africa and Namibia.
“We will be seen as a big safety company. The skills level is generally not up to par, and we will teach employees and get them up to standard,” said Jacobs.
Purity Manganese employs 400 mine workers with varying skills levels.
Bannai said the mine had set aside sufficient funds for the development of staff housing, and was waiting for an approval from the Ministry of Lands to start building houses for the workers.
“We are just waiting for approval, capital is available. Once our application for land is approved we will provide housing for workers, as we expect to employ more people once our expansion is complete.”
Source: Informante, Windhoek, Namibia
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