Mining Intelligence and News
South Africa

Khanyisa Complex

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusCare and Maintenance
Commodities
  • Coal (thermal)
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Pillar & roof
  • Strip mining (roll-over)
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SnapshotThe Khanyisa Complex comprises the historical Khanyisa mining area (mined-out), the Catwalk and the Triangle areas, all of which have been consolidated into one mining complex.

Coal Reserves for the Khanyisa were depleted during FY23. Initiatives are ongoing to extend the life of mine of Khanyisa Complex.

Salungano Group is under suspension from trading the shares on the JSE Limited, which came into effect on 21 August 2023. The delay in the finalisation and publication of the financial results relates to the finalisation of the Salungano’s refinancing agreements.

The FY2024 interim financial results are now planned to be released on or about 31 October 2024. The Board’s best estimate that the Suspension will be lifted on or about 31 January 2025.

The operations of Khanyisa will be in a state of care and maintenance until an alternative course of action is determined by the Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs).
Related Asset

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Salungano Group Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Khanyisa Complex is an opencast operation 100% owned by Salungano Group Ltd. through its subsidiary Wescoal Mining (Pty) Ltd.

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

The Khanyisa Collierie is located within the Witbank Coalfield. The northern extent of the Coalfield is defined by the limit of coal-bearing sediments of the Vryheid Formation which abut against pre-Karoo basement rocks of the Transvaal Sequence, the Waterberg Group and Bushveld Complex. The southern limit of the central sector of the Coalfield is marked by a series of Bushveld Complex inliers known as the Smithfield Ridge while in the east and west sectors, the boundary between the Witbank Coalfield and the Highveld Coalfield to the south is somewhat arbitrary.

The five major coal seams of the coalfield are contained within a stratigraphic interval averaging approximately 70m in thickness. The seams are numbered, from the base upwards and include the No. 1 Coal Seam, the No. 2 Coal Seam (split into the No. 2 Lower Coal Seam and No. 2 Upper Coal Seam), the No. 3 Coal Seam, the No. 4 Coal Seam (split into the No. 4 Lower Coal Seam and No. 4 Upper Coal Seam) and the uppermost No. 5 Coal Seam.

The No. 5 Coal Seam is not present at all. The No. 1 Coal Seam is not considered economic as it is either very thin (~1 m thick) or not developed. Similarly, the No. 3 Coal Seam is also not considered economic as it is on average only around 0.3 m in thickness.

No. 1 Coal Seam
The No. 1 Coal Seam occurs directly on top of the Dwyka Group sediments in both the Triangle and Catwalk Project areas. Undulations in the paleo-topography at the time of peat accumulation resulted in zones where the No. 1 Coal Seam did not develop. The coal is highly variable in nature, ranging from shaley to dull-lustrous. Due to the fact that the seam is thin with relatively poor qualities, it is not considered economic. The depth of weathering across the Catwalk and Triangle Areas averages 17 m. It has been modelled and considered when estimating resources.

No. 2 Coal Seam
The No. 2 Coal Seam is the main economic target. It is present in the Triangle Area as in-situ coal, and is on average 5.50m thick, with an average depth to roof of 40.9m (ranging from 38m to 43m). Triangle 2 has a S2 Upper Ply located directly above the main S2; it averages 0.56m in thickness and is mined together with the S2.

Catwalk Project Area
The No. 2 Coal Seam has been historically mined using underground board and pillar methods in the Catwalk area and therefore the majority of the resource area comprises roof and pillar coal. The average pillar height is 2.7 m, while the remaining roof coal ranges in thickness from 1.5 to 2.3 m. The depth to seam roof ranges from 21 to 27 m. The CV for both the roof and pillar coal is in the region of 22.5 MJ/kg. The No. 2 Seam is considered mined out at Catwalk; any remaining peripheral coal has been removed from the coal resource estimation.

No. 4 Lower Coal Seam
The No. 4 Lower Coal Seam occurs across the majority of the Triangle Area, with the exception of a few areas to the South where it has been eroded. The No. 4 Lower Coal Seam is not present in either Catwalk North or South. The No. 4 Lower Coal Seam lies on average 0.6m above the No. 3 Coal Seam, where it is separated by a sandstone band. The seam thickness is relatively constant, ranging in thickness from 3.7 to 4 m, averaging 3.84 m in thickness. The average coal quality is good; raw ash content around 25% and a raw CV of 22.7 MJ//kg. The seam is unaffected by either faulting or dolerite.

No. 4 Upper Coal Seam
The No. 4 Upper Coal Seam occurs over the majority of the Triangle Project Area, with the exception of a few areas in the south, where the seam has been removed by erosion. The seam is on average 4.10 m thick and occurs directly above the No. 4 Lower Coal Seam. The coal quality is considerably poorer than the No. 4 Lower Coal Seam. The ash content is in the region of 39.70% and the CV is on average 17.20 MJ/kg.

Dolerite and faulting
There is no dolerite or faulting within the Triangle resource area.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits20232022202120202019
Coal (thermal) Mt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe0.4
All production numbers are expressed as ROM coal.

Operational metrics

Metrics20232022202120202019
Coal tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe395,000 t
Raw coal annual capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1.2 Mt
Stripping / waste ratio  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2019
Total cash costs Coal (thermal) ZAR 244.3 / t  

Financials

Units202120202019
Capital expenditures M ZAR  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 209  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 12, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Sep 25, 2024

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2018

Aerial view:

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