Mining operations in South Africa, and Africa in general, continue to lag in terms of mechanisation compared with their European and North American counterparts, and need to overcome the challenges that limit the adoption of safer, more efficient technologies, says underground mining contractor Cementation Africa.

“We need to show the world that Africa can adopt technology, implement it and do so properly,” states Cementation Africa new business executive Graham Chamberlain.

Africa is so slow off the blocks that the rest of the world is streaks ahead of it, despite there being an endowment of mineral wealth right across the continent, he emphasises.

AI is being exploited for the purposes of exploration in Angola – which is significantly underexplored, by Botswana Diamonds MD James Campbell for diamond exploration in Botswana, and by exploration company KoBold Metals to identify new cobalt and copper orebodies in Zambia. However, closer to the rock face there is little research and development and old methodologies are the order of the day.

“We really need a client to bring in new technology so that we can test it, let it succeed in South Africa, and the rest of Africa, to springboard the adoption of more efficient technologies in-country,” says Chamberlain.

While Cementation Africa’s mechanisation efforts are driven by improving efficiency and productivity, the key driver is safety. Being early adopters of technology and leading the way on the continent has paid off for the company safety wise, with Cementation Africa recording 8.5-million fatality-free shifts over 12 years of undertaking high-risk mining activities, highlights Chamberlain.

Cementation Africa engineering services executive Hercilus Harmse emphasises that the company’s safety and risk management training systems are deployed at all its projects and play a significant role in the success that Cementation Africa has achieved.

The company does not compromise on safety or the quality of its work, stresses Chamberlain.

“These two aspects are non-negotiable. The systems that we use are to the benefit of our employees’ safety and the client. We leave a lasting legacy behind through the high quality of our shafts and infrastructure, whereas other contractors’ projects generally need to be corrected after six months,” he adds.

A Culture of Change

Cementation Africa made a conscious decision 15 years ago to use clamshell muckers instead of cactus grabs for vertical shaft sinking, as these heavy pieces of machinery, suspended by ropes, are prone to damage and also present a high risk for fatalities.

“By not using the cactus grab, you reduce the number of people in the bottom of the shaft tremendously and, thereby, decrease the associated risk,” explains Harmse.

Cementation Africa also prohibits the use of overthrow shovels, which are still in use at mines today despite Chamberlain describing the technology as overly risky.



The company was also an early adopter of Booyco Electronics’ proximity detection system following an incident, making it a company standard years before the technology was made mandatory on all trackless mining machines in South Africa by law in 2022.

Tweaking Existing Technology

Cementation Africa is not reinventing the wheel and developing brand new solutions, it uses existing, off-the-shelf technologies and ensures that they are fit for purpose, adjusting them to the company’s processes and procedures, advances Chamberlain.

For example, it has worked with an original-equipment manufacturer to modify drilling jumbos according to the company’s specifications and safety requirements.

“The drilling jumbos previously stood on the ground, but are now nested in the stage. You can change your drilling patterns and powder factors to suit ground conditions. This modification has introduced many benefits, and we are proudly on our fourth generation drill rig,” says Chamberlain.

Not only does this drilling technology reduce fly rock, but the hydraulic drifters adopted along with it, replacing pneumatic drifters, produce less noise, further improving working conditions and efficiencies on site, adds Harmse.

A balance will need to be struck between technological advancement and reticence by those organisations that are opposed to developments that alter employment numbers, shutting down the acceptance of new technology.

While there is limited advancement with regard to mine mechanisation in Africa, Cementation Africa is still able to learn from the experience of its sister company based in Canada and the US, where new technologies such as the Komatsu MC51 hard rock continuous miner have been introduced.

“We want to adopt new technologies wherever we can. This includes the reef boring technology that allows ore reserves with a very low pay limit to be more economically mined, removing the need for ore picking or to develop a cheaper processing methodology to be competitive. If any technology is adopted by a client, we are ready and able to assist,” states Chamberlain, who believes quick-win technologies will be the differentiator in the next ten years.