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Africa|Business|Coal|Contractor|Infrastructure|Mining|Projects|Services|Sustainable|Underground|Equipment|Infrastructure|Operations
Africa|Business|Coal|Contractor|Infrastructure|Mining|Projects|Services|Sustainable|Underground|Equipment|Infrastructure|Operations
africa|business|coal|contractor|infrastructure|mining|projects|services|sustainable|underground|equipment|infrastructure|operations

Liberty Coal transfers 540 workers as Optimum Colliery prepares 500 new jobs

coal mining

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater

16th January 2026

By: Darren Parker

Deputy Editor Online

     

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Coal company Liberty Coal has confirmed that about 540 employees have been transferred to Liberty Mine Services (LMS), following its appointment as the principal independent mining contractor at Optimum Colliery in November last year.

LMS is now set to begin a progressive employment drive over this year, in line with Liberty Coal’s planned expansion into dragline and underground operations, which is expected to create about 500 new jobs at the mine.

The employment growth is in addition to opportunities arising from several major capital projects being undertaken as part of the refurbishment of the mine’s infrastructure and facilities.

Overall, Liberty Coal anticipates that about 2 000 people will be actively engaged in works at Optimum Colliery by the end of this year.

The transferred employees were previously employed by Salaria, which is in business rescue, and its associates.

LMS is operating with Liberty Coal’s new fleet of heavy-duty mining machinery, equipment and vehicles, the first consignment of which was delivered in December. The remainder of the fleet is expected to arrive by March, when Liberty Coal’s Marion 8200 MDO3 dragline, newly restored at a cost of more than R400-million, is expected to begin operations.

“The appointment of LMS as the principal mining contractor at the mine represents a new and exciting chapter in the mine’s fortunes and potentially the most significant catalyst in returning the mine to sustainable profitability.

“We look forward to working closely with LMS and its management to achieve Liberty Coal’s objective of restoring Optimum Colliery to its historic position as one of South Africa’s premier producing coal mines,” Liberty Coal CEO Hlayiseka Chauke said on January 16.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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