Mine training facility in pipeline
SITEKI – Aspiring youth mine workers now have the opportunity to explore this sector through training and stand a chance to be employed by the four coal mines to open doors soon in the first quarter of the year.
According to SIMAVSHEQ Consultancy and Training Director, Mavela Sigwane, his company would be opening a Lubombo Mining School soon and details about it would be announced in due course.
Sigwane said aspiring miners above 18 years and those with O’Level and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) would be required to also bring identity documents together with their curriculum vitae (CV).
The director said the courses comprise of miner training, mine supervisory training, jack hammer operation and support, ventilation management, mining water management, mine health and safety training, environmental management, mine rescue training and many more.
He said his company was tapping in to assist the youth with skills that would be required by the mining industry in the country.
Details
“For more details they can call these numbers; 7911 0406 or 7607 8654 so that they can be helped,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lurco Coal Eswatini has invested E5.4 billion in reopening the defunct Mpaka Colliery.
Lurco Coal Eswatini is a subsidiary of Magni Resources and their investment will create 600 direct job opportunities with about 1 000 indirectly made available from subcontracted companies.
A new coal mine at St. Philips area, Eyesive Mining management led by Jeffrey Jele (Director), Kenneth Ndlovu (Geological Consultant) and Welile Mbambo (Business Development Consultant) were introduced to the KaNgcamphalala chiefdom inner council members by Prince Guduza, who is the Chairman of the Minerals Management Board (MMB).
A budget of E10 million has been set aside for the prospecting and exploration programme.
The coal mine will cover an area of 3 100 hectares at St. Philips, an area under Siphofaneni Inkhundla.
The chairman was in the company of Sam Ntshalintshali, Sihle Mashaba, Gideon Gumede (MMB members) and Robert Biyela (Chief Mining Engineer). Another coal mine, Intessa Resources was launched at Lubhuku under Dvokodvweni Inkhundla with a projected E1.2 billion for three years with 700-1 000 direct jobs to be created.
The company will further invest E45 million towards the exploration process of the quality and quantity of coal at that area.
Exploration
Intessa Resources Director Siphiwe Cele from South Africa said they projected an area of 5 000 hectares for the mine at the Lubhuku area with the exploration process.
The director said about E45 million had been set aside for the prospecting process with 25 job opportunities to be created for the local people during the setting up of the project.
According to the investment proposal presented by Intesa Resources Director Cele, a development of 400 megawatts electricity generation capacity using a combination of coal fired power station and a hybrid photovoltaic (PV) solar plant with battery storage for E12.6 billion is on the cards.
Cele said kick-starting this project would also ease the burden currently being experienced by South African power supplier, Eskom in supplying the country with electricity.
He said he had engaged the local energy regulator, Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA) on this matter.
On another note, New Frontier Mining has invested E200 million with 200 job opportunities to be created in the new coal mine to start operations in the first quarter of this year.
Required
According to the mine’s Managing Director (MD) Peter Grey, the initial investment required to reach steady state will be between E160-E200 million. The MD said there would be equipment on top of that investment package that was still to be acquired.
Grey said after a very thorough process and the necessary approvals after the prospecting confirmations, the company had been granted a mining licence to mine anthracite near Mhlume. While on the other hand, New Frontier Coal Investments had the mining lease area of the project covering four farms situated in the north-east of Eswatini, which is between Tshaneni and Mhlume areas.
The footprint of the proposed mining activities will be under a land covering 15 hectares and infrastructure including offices, wash plant, shaft opening and other auxiliary structures.