Rustenburg Platinum Mines proposes extending the existing mining operations through the mining of shallow Merensky and UG2 reefs within the Amandelbult Mining Right Boundary. The proposed project will be referred to as the Bierspruit Opencast project and is located to the east of the Tumela mine 16 West Shaft near Thabazimbi in the Limpopo Province, within the Amandelbult mining complex.  The two main areas are dissected by a gravel road linking the R510 to areas northwest of the planned opencast area. A culvert structure allows crossing of the Bierspruit between the two planned opencast areas.

The Environmental Management Programme report (EMPr) Addendum was initially approved by the Department of Mineral Resources: Directorate Mineral Development: Limpopo Region in 2002 (Reference number: 6/2/2/48). The Bierspruit Opencast project is motivated by a need to ensure continuity in operations, which shifted the focus from underground to opencast mining at Anglo’s Amandelbult Complex.  This project will enable Anglo to economically extract reef remnants of easily accessible Platinum Group Elements (PGE) ounces from previously mined and backfilled opencast pits.

The proposed mining operations are expected to consist of opencast pits for strip mining; overburden stockpile areas; pollution control dams; a topsoil stockpile area; a mobile crusher (at the existing Tumela 10 West Raise-bore) and ore stockpile area; internal access and haul roads for the removal of ore from within the pit; storm water management measures around excavated and infrastructure areas in the form of berms to be constructed from overburden material; contractor’s camp (inclusive of parking); and perimeter fencing around the proposed mining area.

The proposed Bierspruit Opencast project will be located on the Remainder of the farms Schildpadnest 385 KQ and Zwartkop 369 KQ.

For more information, to register as an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) or to submit comments, please contact us between Monday, 5 December 2022 and Monday, 30 January 2023 by completing the form below.