Mining Intelligence and News
South Africa

Twickenham Mine

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Categories

Summary

Mine TypeUnderground
Study CompletedPrefeasibility
Study in ProgressFeasibility
StageRestarting
Commodities
  • PGM
  • Gold
  • Platinum
  • Palladium
  • Rhodium
  • Nickel
  • Copper
Mining Method
  • Bord-and-pillar
  • ULP / XLP
SnapshotTwickenham has been on care and maintenance since 2016, with recent prefeasibility studies confirming the economic viability of its Mineral Resource.

In 2024, a feasibility study was initiated to assess the potential for resuming operations, with results expected in 2025. The study will focus on capital requirements, market analysis, and the feasibility of profitable mining under current conditions.

The mine offers potential for shallow mechanised mining on the Merensky Reef and UG2 Reef horizons, and Anglo American Platinum is exploring sustainable mining options through technical studies.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Anglo American plc. 65.36 % Indirect
Rustenburg Platinum Mines Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
Ownership Tree
Anglo American plc. through its subsidiary Rustenburg Platinum Mines owns 66.7% of the Twickenham complex.

As part of its portfolio simplification, Anglo American plc. will demerge Anglo American Platinum, allowing it to operate as an independent and resilient business. The demerger is expected to be completed in June 2025.

Deposit type

  • Magmatic

Summary:

Formed over two billion years ago as a result of multiple injections of magma into the earth’s crust many kilometres below the surface, the Bushveld Complex is geologically unique due to its size, uniformity of its layering and extent of known mineral content.

Twickenham is located in the Eastern Limb of the Bushveld Complex, north of the Steelpoort fault. The main economic horizons and PGMs mineralisation are the UG2 and Merensky Reefs. Both reefs subcrop on the property, striking approximately north-north-west/south-south-east at an average dip of 15° to the south-west over a strike length of 16km. The UG2 and Merensky Reefs are separated by approximately 400m of mafic cumulate rocks.

The Merensky Reef thickness ranges from 100cm to 200cm, with an average thickness of 140cm. The mineralisation occurs mainly in a poikilitic plagioclase pyroxenite bound by thin chromitite stringers and associated pegmatoidal textures, which contain the highest PGM grades. The UG2 Reef chromitite layer varies in thickness from 30cm to 110cm (average of 62cm), overlain by up to five chromitite stringers varying in thickness from 2mm to 1cm. The immediate footwall of the UG2 Reef is usually a pegmatoidal feldspathic pyroxenite, which varies in thickness from a few centimetres to 200cm, with an average of 60cm.

The topography consists of a long valley between the fairly rugged Leolo mountain range, comprising main zone gabbro and gabbro-norites. The tectonic setting is characterised by north-north-east/south-south-west striking dolerite dykes of post-Karoo age and faults. A fairly prominent dyke swarm exists on Paschaskraal farm with individual dyke widths reaching 30m to 40m. Other geological discontinuities impacting the mining horizon are potholes, with rare occurrences of replacement pegmatites of various compositions (sometimes iron rich).

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Commodity Production

CommodityUnits20162015
All production numbers are expressed as metal in concentrate.

Operational metrics

Metrics20162015
Ore tonnes mined 67 kt306 kt
Tonnes milled 54 kt279 kt

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Operating Costs

Currency2016
UG mining costs ($/t milled) ZAR  ....  Subscribe

Mine Financials

Units2017
Capital expenditures M ZAR 7  
Revenue M ZAR
EBIT M ZAR
EBITDA M ZAR
Operating Cash Flow M ZAR

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 26, 2025

Workforce

Aerial view:

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