Latest estimates indicate that South Africa still has 400-million tonnes of gold in the ground that are amenable to profitable extraction using mechanised techniques.

In addition, there are 160-million tonnes of high-grade ore locked in underground support pillars, accessible from current infrastructure, Chamber of Mines VP Neal Froneman outlined at a media conference at the Investing in African Mining Indaba.

But, without a shift in mining methodology, Froneman warned that this gold would likely go unmined, with research suggesting a loss of 200 000 jobs by 2025.

On the other hand, successful modernisation through mechanisation has the potential to create a substantial number of sustainable jobs and more than offset the inevitable continuing decline if mining continues as is.

Research and development activities have already begun at the old Comro site, in Richmond, Johannesburg, with technical skills programmes now needing to follow to provide a workforce for both the mining operations and the supply industries.

Froneman regards as key a shared understanding by all stakeholders of how modernisation through mechanisation can deliver superior benefits and value for all.

The intention is to introduce the required technology in a people-centric manner.

The challenging South African reality is mine depth, with eight of the ten deepest mines in the world being gold mines in South Africa, in which the labour-intensive mining method deployed involves physically demanding manual drilling methods with blasting and cleaning on a stop-start basis, predominantly in hard-rock, narrow reef.

With increasing depth and distance from the shaft, travel time to the rock face can take up half of the eight-hour working day.

Work-face drilling time has contracted, health and safety issues have increased, production has shrunk, costs have risen and productivity has declined.

Froneman told the media conference that mining companies were focusing a great deal of attention on the development of processes and technologies that would remove – as far as possible – people from the rock face to minimise the threat of injury.

Technology would also contribute to increased skills development, rising employment particularly in the technology sector, exports and revenue, better jobs for better pay, and benefits for local communities.

The expectation is that all elements of mining – including reporting structures, skills development, change management, stakeholder engagement, community development and environmental management – will need to evolve to suit the requirements of modernised operations.

Through the Mining Phakisa, new connections and commitments have been made between companies, government, academic institutions and original-equipment manufacturers.

In less than six months after the Phakisa, the old Comro campus was redesigned as a mining innovation precinct, with the aim of transforming the South African mining industry into a safer, more productive, better skilled and better-paying business.

Government allocated R150-million to mining research and development, supplementing the R500-million spent by mining companies in recent years.

While private companies, mining companies and manufacturers have developed a number of individual products, an integrated suite of locally manufactured products with real-time monitoring and control is being targeted.

The industry has set a milestone for the implementation of a cyclical drill-and-blast suite of equipment that mechanises all activities in the stoping and development cycle, including remotely operated equipment.

Work done to date indicates that such mechanisation extends mine life, preserves mining employment, improves safety and health, and allows the mining of lower-grade orebodies and deeper resources.

It also creates an environment for round-the-clock, continuous operation and job preservation.

The new equipment allows for the conventional drill, blast and clean cycle of working by miners skilled in the use of remotely controlled equipment from safe, healthy sites.

A low-grade mine with a four-year life expectancy, could, by using even semimechanised methods, extend operations to 15 years and, with mechanised continuous operations, to 25 years.

The chamber has identified the products, technologies, people and infrastructure required to mechanise the stoping and development cycle with remotely operated equipment by 2020.

Similar requirements have been developed for a continuous mechanised mining system that will be operating by 2025.

A study, drawing on the estimates of South Africa’s three principal gold companies – AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony and Sibanye – indicates that, for one mine, every 1 g/t reduction in the cutoff grade results in ten-million tonnes of additional ore containing 200 t of gold to be mined over the operation’s extended life.