Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit & Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Breast mining
- Cut & Fill
- Longhole open stoping
- Hydraulic mining
|
Production Start | ...  |
Mine Life | 20 years (as of Jan 1, 2022) |
The Barberton Mines operation has various components, including three working underground mines: Fairview, Sheba and New Consort, the BIOX® gold processing plant and the Barberton tailings retreatment plant (BTRP). |
Source:
p. 70,96-97
Employees own 5% of the issued share capital of Barberton Mines through an ESOP.
Contractors
- Subscription is required.
Deposit Type
- Hydrothermal
- Tailings
- Vein / narrow vein
Summary:
Barberton Mines comprises Fairview Mine, Sheba Mine, New Consort Mine and the BTRP.
The mineralisation at Barberton Mines is classified as Achaean epigenetic hydrothermal lode gold deposits within a granite greenstone terrain. The distribution and localisation of these orebodies in the BGB can be largely attributed to the combined influence of thermal metamorphism and structural deformation. The BGB has produced approximately 11Moz of gold since the first discovery in the early 1880s. Barberton Mines has produced more than 75% of the total production from the BGB.
Mineralisation at Barberton Mines is typically continuous in the short- to medium-range on strike with long-range geological and grade continuity being experienced down-dip. Gold occurs in either vein-hosted ore lode deposits or as free milling gold associated with fine grade sulphides, mainly pyrite and arsenopyrite.
The Barberton ores are thus mineralised shears with gold occluded in sulphide minerals. The sulphides often occur as massive assemblages in the shear structure. Lower grade ore, in the wall rock, form as a result of the alteration process during fluid flow and is associated with disseminated sulphide minerals.
BTRP is a deposition material of historically treated metallurgical tailings from the Fairview, New Consort and Sheba Mines. The material is confined to the deposition site of historical tailings and approximately 1m beneath the historical footprint. Th ........

Mining Methods
- Breast mining
- Cut & Fill
- Longhole open stoping
- Hydraulic mining
Summary:
Barberton Mines comprises Fairview Mine, Sheba Mine, Consort Mine and the BTRP.
Fairview Mine produces approximately 50% of Barberton Mines’ annual gold production, with Consort Mine, Sheba Mine and the BTRP producing 11%, 18% and 21%, respectively.
The availability of high-grade orebodies and lower grade shallow resources from the mines provide options for planning in order to maintain the targeted grade/tonnage profile for annual gold production of approximately 100Koz. This also enables the optimal management of cash flows, operating costs and life of the operations at Barberton Mines from an early stage in the mine planning process. The operation has a proven track record of consistently delivering a solid performance, driven to a large extent by an embedded culture of safety and cost control.
The mining methods used at Barberton Mines’ underground operations are semi-mechanised up-dip cut-and-fill and up-dip room and stick mining. An estimated 16% of gold is recovered by sweeping and vamping contractors focusing on historically worked-out areas and mining high-grade remnant zones of ore.
Fairview Mine
An underground complex consisting of adits and sub-decline shaft systems.The mining operations is carried out using semi-mechanised up-dip cut-and-fill mining method. Gold rich orebodies are mined from near surface to approximately 1.7km below surface at the 11-block MRC orebody. Ore is transported through three decline shaf ........

Source:
Summary:

- subscription is required.
Production:
Commodity | Units | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Gold
|
oz
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  | 90,629 | 98,508 | 113,281 |
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.
- Subscription is required.
Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Annual production capacity
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 135 koz of gold metal in doré | 125 koz of gold metal in doré | 125 koz of gold metal in doré |
Tonnes processed
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 1,408,187 t | 1,096,798 t | 1,068,606 t |
Annual processing capacity
| ......  | ......  | ......  | 1,632,000 t | 1,500,000 t | 1,500,000 t |
- Subscription is required.
Reserves at June 30, 2022:
Mineral Reserves: Cut-off values are calculated at 7.21g/t for Fairview Mine and 5.27g/t for 11 Level; Cut-off values are calculated at 4.94g/t for Sheba Mine and 5.07g/t for the MRC and ZK sections; Cut-off values are calculated at 6.50g/t for Consort Mine, 6.70g/t for the PC Shaft and 5.16g/t for the MMR; Cut-off values are calculated at 0.3g/t for the BTRP.
Mineral Resources: Cut-off values are calculated at 1.75g/t for Fairview Mine and 1.51g/t for 11 Level; Cut-off values are calculated at 1.88g/t for Sheba Mine and 1.93g/t for the MRC and ZK sections; Cut-off values are calculated at 2.53g/t for Consort Mine, 2.54g/t for the PC Shaft and 2.19g/t for the MMR; Cut-off values are calculated at 0.2g/t for the BTRP.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
7.78 Mt
|
Gold
|
3.07 g/t
|
0.77 M oz
|
Probable
|
12.58 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.84 g/t
|
1.15 M oz
|
Proven & Probable
|
20.36 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.92 g/t
|
1.91 M oz
|
Measured
|
14 Mt
|
Gold
|
3.3 g/t
|
1.49 M oz
|
Indicated
|
11.97 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.76 g/t
|
1.06 M oz
|
Measured & Indicated
|
25.98 Mt
|
Gold
|
3.05 g/t
|
2.55 M oz
|
Inferred
|
20.72 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.56 g/t
|
1.71 M oz
|
Total Resource
|
46.7 Mt
|
Gold
|
2.83 g/t
|
4.25 M oz
|
Commodity Production Costs:
| Commodity | Units | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Cash costs (sold)
|
Gold
|
USD
|
......
|
......
|
......
|
......
|
983 / oz
|
797 / oz
|
All-in sustaining costs (AISC)
|
Gold
|
USD
|
...... †
|
...... †
|
...... †
|
...... †
|
1,124 / oz†
|
942 / oz†
|
All-in costs
|
Gold
|
USD
|
...... †
|
...... †
|
...... †
|
...... †
|
1,209 / oz†
|
1,001 / oz†
|
† Net of By-Product.
- Subscription is required.
Operating Costs:
| Units | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Total operating costs ($/t milled)
|
ZAR
| 1,424 | 1,310 | 1,106 | 928 | 1,045 | 998 | 801 | 744 |
Financials:
| Units | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
Capital expenditures
|
M ZAR
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
210.4
|
193.5
|
139.7
|
Revenue
|
M ZAR
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
1,507
|
1,679
|
1,922
|
EBITDA
|
M ZAR
| ......  | ......  | ......  | ......  |
341.6
|
676.2
|
729.8
|
- Subscription is required
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
- Subscription is required.
- Subscription is required.