JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Broad-based black economic-empowerment group Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining’s Northern Cape-based manganese mine, Tshipi Borwa, has become the fifth-largest manganese mine in the world after doubling its first-year production volumes to export two-million tons of semicarbonate medium-grade manganese ore in 2014.
Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining is a joint venture between black-owned Ntsimbintle Mining, Perth-based Jupiter Mines and Sydney-listed OM Holdings.
“This is a very significant achievement, particularly because Tshipi has only been operating for two years. The mine is now one of the four largest manganese mines in South Africa and one of the five largest manganese mines in the world.
“The aggressive production ramp-up was achieved in spite of numerous challenges encountered developing the R2.2-billion mine, which included the construction of a processing plant, railway carriage loading station and railway siding,” commented Tshipi CEO Brendan Robinson.
Tshipi chairperson Saki Macozoma added in a statement that a feasibility study into another new manganese mine in the Northern Cape was currently under way and held good prospects.
“If all goes well, we could have another new manganese mine constructed over the next few years,” he remarked.
The majority of the Tshipi product was railed to the ports of Port Elizabeth, Ngqura and Saldanha via the Transnet national rail network, while the remaining ore was transported on road.