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South Africa

Mafube Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Coal (thermal)
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Mafube Colliery operation consists of six planned pits with current extraction focused on the Nooitgedacht Pit.

In 2023, Fuel cleaning system is nstalled on three haul trucks at Mafube. The FuelActive technology improves engine efficiency, reduces fuel consumption and reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Exxaro Resources Ltd. 50 % Indirect
Thungela Resources Limited 50 % Indirect
The Mafube Colliery is operated as a 50:50 joint venture between Exxaro Coal Mpumalanga Proprietary Limited and South Africa Coal Operations Proprietary Limited.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

The Mafube Colliery is located close to the northern edge of the Witbank Coalfield where four coal seams are present. These consist of, from bottom, the No 1 Seam, sequentially to the No 4 Seam at the top. The No 2 Seam is the main source of the declared Coal Resources and Coal Reserves, with the No 4 Seam and No 1 Seam also contributing.

Surface material at Mafube consists of weathering products of the sandstones, siltstones and mudstones of the Vryheid Formation. The top layer consists of reddish-brown sandy soil, with clayey sandy subsoil below.

Weathering is deepest in the south and west, and shallowest in the north and east, following the general trend of the topographic surface. The average depth is 9.9 m, reaching a maximum of 23.28 m.

The Mafube area is underlain by a sequence of sedimentary rocks of the Dwyka Group and the Vryheid Formation of the Ecca Group (Karoo Supergroup), which rest unconformably on an uneven floor composed of older gabbro and granodiorite (associated with the Bushveld Igneous Complex) as well as felsite of the Transvaal Supergroup.

The generally flat-lying Vryheid Formation consists of sandstone, siltstone, shale and coal seams. Strata at Mafube are typical of the Witbank Coalfield, with four of the five coal seams being present. Underlying the coal sequence of the Vryheid Formation are glacial deposits of the Dwyka Group, which accumulated on the erosional pre-Karoo basement surface.

The palaeotopography of the pre-Karoo basement largely controlled the deposition of the lower coal seams and partings.

The glacial deposits of the Dwyka Group vary within the project area and consist of fine-grained varved siltstone and shale to very coarse, matrix supported tillites. Clasts within the tillite are typically felsite from the Rooiberg Group, or sandstone and quartzite of the Wilge River Formation of the Waterberg Group.

Within the Ecca Group, the Vryheid Formation comprises zones of alternating conglomerates, sandstone and mudstones within which the coal seams are located. At Mafube, the stratigraphy of the Vryheid Formation may be divided into two main sequences: a basal No 2 Seam Sequence, overlain by the No 4 Seam Sequence.

Four of the five major Witbank Coalfield seams exist within the Mafube Nooitgedacht area. These are (from bottom to top), the No 1 Seam, No 2 Seam, No 3 Seam and the No 4 Seam. The No 4 Seam is confined to the deeper parts (northwest) of the mining area.

The No 4 Seam averages 4.68 m thick. It is confined to the extreme northwest of the Mafube area due to erosion and generally consists of several plies of differing coal quality.

The No 3 Seam is thin and of no current economic significance (average thickness of 0.2 m).

The No 2 Lower Seam (S2L) is the main economic seam with an average thickness of 4.23 m. The quality is variable due to interbedded bright and dull coal plies with some shale and carbonaceous shale, mudstone and occasional sandstone bands. An upper sub-seam, designated No 2 Upper Seam (S2U), is sometimes present. The S2U and S2L are separated by a thin but distinctive parting (designated Number 2 Seam Parting (P2) with an average thickness of 0.41 m). The S2U is fairly thin (averaging 0.77 m in thickness) and consists of poorer quality coal and is therefore not economic.

The No 1 Seam (S1) is thin (average thickness of 1.38 m) and continuous throughout the Mafube area. It lies approximately 0.5 m below the S2L. Two minor seam splits of the No 1 Seam (designated S1L and S1LL) occasionally occur. They are, however, of no economic significance.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Coal (thermal) Mt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3.72.13.22.52.9
All production numbers are expressed as clean coal. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Coal tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5.3 Mt3.44 Mt4.2 Mt
Plant annual capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Coal tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4.1 Mt of ROM coal3.7 Mt of ROM coal

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2023202220212020
Cash costs (sold) Coal (thermal) ZAR  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Total cash costs (sold) Coal (thermal) ZAR  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures M ZAR  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Revenue M ZAR  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 2,031   1,515   2,006  
Operating Income M ZAR  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 299   449   751  
Pre-tax Income M ZAR  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 271   387   762  
After-tax Income M ZAR  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 198   264   532  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 21, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 21, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 21, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 21, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 21, 2024

EmployeesTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required 2019

Aerial view:

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