Gold recovery expert working with government to uplift staff

Local mining and raw materials processing firm Ncamiso Mining is currently working closely with the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) to train and develop the company’s staff through short courses, based on the goals of both the company and its employees.

Ncamiso MD Fikile Mashinini says the continued support from the DMR since 2014 has allowed Ncamiso to improve the skills of its workforce through courses in application processes, basic safety, first aid, administration and operations such as blasting.

“The assistance of the DMR is important to our operations as our workers constantly improve their skills. The training enables the staff to be more productive and efficient in the start-to-end process of identifying gold remediation projects. “The safety courses are paramount to increasing the productivity of all the Ncamiso operations, as well as improving health and safety knowledge and awareness, which limits instances of injury,” explains Ncamiso COO Tshego Motsoenyane.

The company’s latest achievement involves its maximum gold recovery and environmental remediation partnership with ASX-listed mining company Mintails Mining South Africa. The partnership, signed in April last year, has proven to be beneficial for both companies, with Ncamiso recovering more than 200 kg of gold from the joint venture (JV) operations at Mintails’ Mogale gold complex on the West Rand.

According to Mashinini, each of the Mogale gold projects taken on by Ncamiso will help increase its revenue through the recovery of gold while rehabilitating the land. The projects also fulfil both companies’ corporate social responsibility obligations by providing jobs as reef pickers for people from several of the different mines’ neighbouring communities.

“In addition, Ncamiso is also removing material that attracts illegal miners. “As their resources are fast depleted, they are forced to leave the area, as there is no value in being there,” states Mashinini.

The projects currently under way at the Mogale gold complex , in Randfontein, include the cleaning of the old reduction plant and the removal of contaminated surface material for the construction of low-cost housing by consulting engineering firm Blue Print Development.

Further, at the Mogale gold complex’s Goudrand operation, near Roodepoort, in Gauteng, work has also been done to eradicate contaminated surface material to rehabilitate the ground for further development, also by Blue Print Development.

Motsoenyane notes that work currently under way on the Kimberley reef, on Johannesburg’s West Rand, will allow for the erection of a recreational park. As part of the opencast operation, the soft underlying layers of reef will be removed and gold-bearing conglomerates will be hauled to Mogale for processing, thereby eliminating the possibility of subsidence in the area, making it stable for development.

Ncamiso has also been involved in an operation on the East Rand of Johannesburg, involving an old reduction plant on a farm belonging to estate agency Markon Realty, near Springs. The land is being rehabilitated for the development of a hydrophonic fish farm and further industrial development and should be completed by December.

At the Mogale gold operation in sub-Nigel, Ncamiso is screening out fine materials and reef from concrete producer Afrisam’s waste rock. This increases Mogale’s gold yield and clears waste rock, which can be used by Afrisam in building materials, benefiting both companies.

“The material goes through an intense sampling process and, before processing can occur, Ncamiso needs to have an idea how much waste rock should be screened and at what ratio the material must be blended.

“We often blend material that has higher gold grades with material that has no gold grades to get it to a cutoff grade acceptable for the mine to treat. “The strong gold price has resulted in making the rehabilitation of land easier because more contaminated tonnes can be moved at low grade without affecting businesses' viability,” states Motsoenyane.

Currently, Ncamiso samples randomly from around 1 000 t/d of fines to ensure that the blending is done correctly before the material is moved. Then the sampling at the various mines is done as soon as the material is delivered, after which bottle-rolls (cyanide leaching) are completed to test the recovery process. During processing, samples are taken automatically off the belt and are split and assayed at a South African Bureau of Standards-approved laboratory.

“Besides the ongoing operations in the East Rand, we are in talks with a cargo group to restore the Fleurhof area of eastern Johannesburg to possible premining conditions so that the planned development of residential housing can take place.”

Mashinini notes that the environmental remediation being carried out by Ncamiso and Mintails also reduces the State’s liability for the amount of waste rock that needs to be reprocessed and land that requires rehabilitation.

“The joint projects undertaken with Mintails help both parties build and strengthen the relationship between the mine and non-mine stakeholders. Mintails and Ncamiso are establishing their reputation as companies invested in the sustainability and upliftment of the communities they work in.”

“We are passionate [about] and dedicated to making a difference. We believe keeping this sentiment at the heart of our business will result in building and growing the business in the right way,” Mashinini avers.

Apart from the gold recovery and remediation projects with Mintails, Ncamiso is also involved in other JVs in the mining of verdite and Tiger’s eye.

“We are also soon embarking on some platinum-group metals and coal mining projects,” Motsoenyane concludes.