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Location: 8 km NE from Westonaria, South Africa
Libanon Business Park 1 Hospital Street (off Cedar Avenue)WestonariaSouth Africa1709
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Mining scale, mining and mill throughput capaciites.Full profiles of select mines and projects.
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Camp size, mine location and contacts.Full profiles of select mines and projects.
The mineral assets are historical gold plant tailings material from the mining of auriferous and uraniferous ore from the goldbearing, late Archaean (2.7Ga to 3.2Ga), Witwatersrand Basin in the West Rand Goldfield. The typical composition is quartz (70% to 80%), mica (10%), chlorite and chloritoid (9% to 18%) and pyrite (1% to 2%). Gold, uranium oxide, zirconium and chromium are minor constituents.The composition of a TSF depends on the geochemical make-up of the material being mined and the chemicals used in the mining and extraction process. Further, the internal structure of the TSF reflects the mining strategy and depositional methodologies employed for each operation. The bulk density of tailings material and the lateral and vertical variation in moisture content is a critical factor in the accurate estimation of tonnages. In addition, secondary processes such as metal remobilisation, erosion, weathering, leaching and acid mine drainage can affect the geochemical characteristics of a TSF. Gold can undergo mobilisation within the TSF over time, and hence, may exhibit areas of reconcentration, and even be present in the sub-structure (footprint) soil. These factors can result in a considerable variation in gold content and distribution throughout the TSF and such variation has an impact on final recoveries and projected revenues for the operation.Tailings from Cooke plant are deposited into historic, unrehabilitated, open pits connected to the old underground workings of the historic Randfontein Estates Gold Mine as part of the approved environmental management programme report (EMPR). The volumetric depositional capacity available in these pits, which assumes there is no further storage capacity in the connected underground workings, is used to constrain the current two year LoM. Longer term, the exploitation of the remaining surface Mineral Resources are dependent on the establishment of a new regional TSF, which is being pursued via DRDGOLD.A total of 4.0Mt of depositional capacity is still available at the Cooke 4 (Ezulwini) TSF complex.Uranium at Cooke The Cooke uranium Mineral Resources are contained within two historic TSFs situated on the Cooke mineral rights. They are classified as “movable assets” and as such the right to mine is not tied to the mining right. The uranium Mineral Resources are by-products of gold mining at the historic Cooke operations. These surface uranium Mineral Resources represent a key strategic opportunity due to the proximity of the existing Cooke (gold only) and Ezulwini (gold and uranium) processing plants. The feasibility study (FS) into the exploitation of the uranium in the Cooke dump is progressing well, with the FS expected to be delivered by Q4 2025 and a final investment decision expected in 2026.
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