Overview
| Stage | Reclamation |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Processing |
|
Thabazimbi production ceased in March 2016.
SIOC and ArcelorMittal SA announced in 2016 that they had entered into an agreement to transfer Thabazimbi mine to ArcelorMittal SA. The agreement is expected to become effective in the second half of 2018, at which time the employees, assets and liabilities will transfer to ArcelorMittal SA at a nominal purchase consideration plus the assumed liabilities of which 97% is already ArcelorMittal SA’s contractual liability. The Thabazimbi mine assets and related liabilities that will transfer have been presented separately in the balance sheet as assets and liabilities of the disposal group held for sale at 31 December 2017. If the conditions are not satisfied by this time and there is no agreement by the parties to extend it, the agreement will lapse and SIOC will proceed with the closure of the mine. |
Source:
p. 8
Currently Anglo American plc. owns 69.7% shares of the Kumba Iron Ore Ltd.
Kumba has a 73.9% interest in Sishen Iron Ore Company Proprietary Limited (SIOC), an entity which we manage. SIOC, in turn, owns the operating assets of the Company. The remaining 26.1% interest in SIOC is held by our black economic empowerment (BEE) partners Exxaro Resources Limited (a leading BEE company listed on the JSE), the SIOC Community Development Trust (a trust that funds projects in local communities) and Envision (an employee share participation scheme).
Summary:
Thabazimbi mine is located in the Limpopo province close to the town of Thabazimbi.
Ore genesis is of a chemical nature, where secondary Haematite replaced chert within the BIF. Later stages of ferruginisation followed to produce high-grade laminated to brecciated iron ore. The occurrence of iron ore is structurally controlled, with faults serving firstly as conduits for iron-rich fluids and later as mechanisms for displacing (and/or duplicating) ore zones.
Local collapse structures within the underlying dolomites produced brecciated zones within the BIF, which were then filled by iron-rich fluids. A regional network of diabase sills and dykes served as trapping mechanisms for mineralising fluids in the lower section of the BIF, which resulted in an enriched lower section and a less-enriched upper section of the Penge Formation.
Generally speaking, the deposits dip southwards at an angle of approximately 45°. At depth the Haematite-rich rocks grade into Calcite Haematite and Talc-Haematite rocks. The mineralisation extends for 12km along strike; however, sterile gaps of BIF occur in between the deposits.
The occurrence of sterile zones between deposits is associated with faulting, where the ore zones wedge out laterally and vary in thickness from 10m to 25m. The intensity of ferruginisation is usually associated with the intensity of brecciation of the BIF due to the underlying karst topography of the dolomites.
Summary:
Located in the Limpopo province, Thabazimbi mine has been in operation since 1931, making it the oldest iron ore mine in the country. Mining activities have taken place in three pits using conventional opencast methods, and ore is processed through a single processing facility.
Summary:
Open pit ore is crushed in one of two primary gyratory crushers ahead of stockpiling and conveying to the plant. Ore is sized into various fractions by further crushing, washing and screening. Ore in the size ranges –32+18mm and –18+8mm are beneficiated in static bath DM drums to yield a 62.5%Fe lumpy product. Ore in the size range –8+1mm is beneficiated in DM cyclones to yield a 63.0%Fe fine product. The 1mm fraction is de-watered and added to the fine product. Dense medium rejects are stored on waste dumps whilst slimes are stored in tailings dams.
Production:
| Commodity | Units | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
|
Iron Ore
|
Mt
| ......  | 1.4 | 1.1 |
Reserves at December 31, 2015:
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
|
Probable
|
0.7 Mt
|
Iron
|
58.7 %
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
0.7 Mt
|
Iron
|
58.7 %
|
|
Measured
|
0.2 Mt
|
Iron
|
63 %
|
|
Indicated
|
7.7 Mt
|
Iron
|
62.3 %
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
8 Mt
|
Iron
|
62.3 %
|
|
Inferred
|
0.4 Mt
|
Iron
|
58.9 %
|
Financials:
| | Units | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
|
Revenue
|
M ZAR
| |
612
|
1,172
|
|
EBITDA
|
M ZAR
| ......  |
47
|
|