Kumba's Kolomela Mine near Postmasburg in the Northern Cape was officially opened today by the Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu.Also in attendance were officials from the Northern Cape Province,Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll,members of the Kumba Iron Ore board,customers from China,Korea,Japan,India and Austria,and the contractors and partners associated with the development of the mine.
Chris Griffith,CEO of Kumba,noted:"Today's ceremony marks an important milestone in Kumba and Anglo American's history.This project has had an excellent track record since inception.Not only is the mine development within budget and boasts an excellent safety record of 26 Million Lost Time Injury Free Hours,it also started dispatching product to the port of Saldanha five months ahead of schedule and shipped the first ore for sale to customers in China."
The mining industry is an important contributor to South Africa and the Northern Cape's growing economy and is key to the future development of this province.The macro-economic impacts from the mine are significant;throughout the project roughly 15 000 people worked on Kolomela,enhancing their learning,skills and experience,which is particularly important for the Northern Cape,as one of the poorer provinces in South Africa.
At full production,Kolomela mine will employ roughly 840 permanent employees and about 150 contractors with more than 90%of the employees being recruited from the Northern Cape.
"The R33 million we invested in regional development and upliftment in 2011 alone is proof that the physical asset that lies in Kolomela mine reaches wider than the confines of the mine itself.We have proven to our local communities that even before we develop a mine,we start developing a community and this integrity will continue throughout the life of the Kolomela mine,"said Griffith.
In addition to new job opportunities,the Kolomela mine is building 718 new houses for its employees,most of which have already been completed and handed over to the residents.
Echoing Chris Griffith's sentiments,Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll said:"There is only one way to finish a project:on time,on budget,and with zero harm.This mantra is at the heart of our approach to project development-the Projects Way-and was adopted by everyone involved in the Kolomela mine,and I am proud of the team who set a number of standards for the wider Anglo American group in delivering on this project.The Kolomela project has prioritised safety throughout,while making a contribution to its community since construction began,exemplifying the Anglo American way which puts people and partnerships at the heart of its business.Kolomela mine is one of the three big projects delivered by Anglo American on or ahead of schedule in 2011-Barro Alto and Los Bronces being the others.This excellent performance will contribute significant new volumes of iron ore,copper,and nickel to Anglo American's portfolio as the new operations continue to ramp up throughout 2012".
Kolomela mine is on track to produce between four-million and five-million tons this year and it will ramp up to its full 9 million tonnes in 2013.The delivery of the Kolomela project is in line with Kumba's growth strategy of ramping the South African production up to 70 million tonnes per annum by 2019.
A 36km rail link has already been constructed by Transnet to link the mine with the Sishen-Saldanha Iron Ore Export Channel.
"The development of Kolomela mine has shown that,with industry,communities and government's co-operation,we can work together in partnership to ensure that the maximum potential is reached.This was a true collaborative effort between the project and operations teams,and a number of external contractors,particularly Transnet Freight Rail,who pulled together to deliver,showing dedication,commitment and enthusiasm,"Griffith concluded.
