Driefontein is a large, well established, intermediate to ultra-deep level gold mine typical to similar mines on the far West Rand mining narrow tabular ore bodies. It has been in production since the 1950s with the last shafts being commissioned in the late 1990s. It includes all the permanent infrastructure required to access and mine the underground areas. All the mineral processing infrastructure is also well established and in use.
Driefontein consists of four operating shafts, No. 1, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 8 Shafts. The deposit is accessed from surface using shaft systems down to 50 Level (the lowest working level) at No. 5 Shaft, approximately 3,300m below surface.
The shafts are well maintained and will support mining operations over the LoM. The underground development is extensive, as can be expected of a mature mine of this size. All footwall access development is mined using mechanical rail-bound methods that are well understood. All stoping is completed using conventional, narrow tabular methods and as such is relatively labour intensive.
The four producing shaft systems mine various contributions from pillars and open ground. No. 2 Shaft is being used solely for hoisting purposes and a further two are being utilised for pumping. Some of the older shafts are on care-and-maintenance and have been planned for closure in 2022 following a footprint optimisation project to contain costs.
Mining method:
• Scattered-conv ........
