Name of the Project
East Manganese mine project.

Location
In the manganese-rich Hotazel, in the Northern Cape, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
Sitatunga Manganese, a subsidiary of Menar.

Project Description
East Manganese will be an opencast mine comprising a total reserve of 870 000 t of run-of-mine (RoM) and will produce and process 30 000 t a month of RoM. 

Products will include lumpy (85%) and fine-material (15%) manganese.

A dry crushing and screening plant will be operated on site, which will reduce water requirements and limit pressure on local water sources.

The 900 000 t reserve will be mined over a two-year mine life as a starting point for the company to build expertise in the manganese mining space.

Potential Job Creation
Between 70  and 80 direct new jobs are expected to be created at the mining complex once peak production has been reached.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
R250-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Development of the project started in September 2020, with first production expected in July 2021. 

Latest Developments
A second manganese project is now at an advanced stage of assessment.

The project is destined to be an underground operation amid the maiden opencast East Manganese mine’s currently producing 30 000 t a month of 36.5% manganese ore.

Mining the lower orebody seam is planned, which has 36% or 37% manganese content.

Drilling at the second manganese project, for which a feasibility study has been conducted, has been under way for the past two years to assess how the ore of this 50-million-ton deposit can be accessed.

"Currently, it looks feasible, but obviously, we must look at the future prices and developments in the manganese industry going forward. As we all know, the South African manganese industry will go underground at most of the mines, maybe in the next seven to ten years, so it’s important for us to keep this project in our portfolio and to develop it at the right time,” Menar MD Vuslat Bayoğlu has explained.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
EXM Advisory Services (environmental consultants); JFK Consulting Engineers; Osideo Construction; and Lesedi Mining Services.

Contact Details for Project Information
Menar, tel +27 11 783 7996 or email info@menar.com.