The Tshepong Operations are situated in the Free State Goldfield, on the southwestern margin of the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa, one of the most prominent gold provinces in the world. The major gold bearing conglomerate reefs are mostly confined to the Central Rand Group (CRG) of the Witwatersrand Supergroup.

Tshepong Operations exploited primarily the Basal Reef, which occurs within the Harmony Formation of the Johannesburg Subgroup of the CRG.

Mineralisation also occurs within the stratigraphically higher A and B Reefs of the Kimberley (formerly Aandenk) Formation, within the Turffontein subgroup of the CRG. However, only the B Reef can be economically extracted.

Mineralisation is associated with the presence of medium to coarse, clast-supported oligomictic pebble horizons. The presence of allogenic pyrite and detrital carbon is also common.

The principal gold-bearing ore body at the Tshepong and Phakisa sections is the stratiform and stratabound Basal Reef (known as the Basal Reef Zone or BRZ). This unit comprises a thin conglomerate at the base of the BRZ, overlain by clean ‘placer’ quartzites. The BRZ is underlain by a thick series of siliceous and argillaceous quartzites comprising the Welkom Formation and is overlain by shales and quartzites of the Harmony Formation, both of the Johannesburg sub-Group of the Central Rand Group. Although not apparent within the Mines Lease, the BRZ sits unconformably on the Welkom Form ........

The Tshepong Operations comprise two operating underground gold mines namely, Tshepong and Phakisa. Tshepong is a mature, moderate to deep-level underground operation that uses conventional undercut mining, to depths of 2,400m BMD. Phakisa, younger than Tshepong, is a moderate to deep-level underground operation using conventional underground mining methods to depths of 2,427m BMD. The mines utilise the Tshepong, Phakisa and Nyala shafts. The Tshepong Operations may be classified as moderate to deep level underground gold mines currently operating at depths of up to 2,427m below surface (Phakisa) and 2,161m below surface (Tshepong). Sequential grid mining (SGM) is the preferred mining method used at the Tshepong Operations. This method makes use of dip pillars and reduced mining spans with pre-developed tunnels, aimed at further control of stresses experienced in rock movement. The SGM sequence is a V-shaped configuration, colloquially referred to as the “inverted Christmas tree". While Tshepong Operations business plan is based primarily on the SGM methodology and sequencing, there are sections of the mine that are operating using the breast, undercut and open stoping mining methods. Minor amounts of the B Reef that do not exceed 30% of the on-reef mined per annum, are extracted as an open stoping mining operation. Reason for mining at open stoping is as a result of the erratic nature of the channel width and the support design specific to B reef mining. The Phakisa Min ........

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