PROJECT PRIDE

Asked what M&D project instils the most pride, Raghubir answers: “It is a difficult question to answer as I am proud of many of them.

“However, the stellar work we recently achieved at Vedanta

Zinc International’s (VZI) ambitious Gamsberg project, part of the South African zinc grouping’s Black Mountain Mining (BMM) operations in the Northern Cape, is definitely a more recent milestone.”

Working with EPC contractor ELB Engineering Services, M&D ensured the timely delivery of the mine’s zinc concentrator, completing the civils component of the project by September 2018 and employing 300 people at peak construction.

M&D’s Roads & Earthworks Division was awarded the contract to construct the external roads, a deal which was extended in August 2018 to include construction of internal plant roads, increasing the project value by 47 percent.

The unit was forced to think on its feet when it discovered materials from the various borrow pits for the road layer works did not meet the engineering design specification once construction had commenced, suggested a new, blended solution with aggregates sourced from a nearby quarry.

“There have been numerous other challenges,” adds Raghubir, “not least the extreme remoteness of this construction site.

“It is located about 1,000 kilometres from our home base and just under 300 kilometres from Upington, the closest major urban centre in the province. Careful logistical planning is therefore required to ensure that the project proceeds according to schedule.

“Meanwhile, the close proximity of the construction works to an environmentally-sensitive area adds another level of complexity to the project.”

By the time the Roads & Earthworks division has completed the project, it will have undertaken 101,000 cubic metres of bulk earthworks, constructed 30,600 cubic metres of layer works, 12,500 square metres of cape seal surfacing, 14,900 square metres of inter-locking paving and 13,500 metres of kerbing.