By: OrePulse

Mining contractor Redpath Africa Limited said it is advancing underground lateral development ahead of schedule at the Sandsloot section of Anglo American Platinum's Mogalakwena complex near Mokopane, in South Africa's Limpopo province, as the operation works to reach platinum-group metals ore beneath its existing open pit.

The Sandsloot underground project will access deeper ore through a decline rather than a vertical shaft, according to the company. Redpath's scope of work covers underground development, construction, raiseboring and preparation for longhole stoping, all coordinated under a single contractor, the company said.

The current Phase B extension of the work is running ahead of its development schedule and is set to continue until August 2027, Redpath said. Recent progress has included the installation of ventilation infrastructure the company described as critical to the project, along with preparation for trial stoping, according to Redpath.

The project is using mechanized drill-and-blast methods, trackless loading and haulage, and mechanized ground support, the company said.

Redpath said specialist trainer-operators are training South African personnel in development drilling, longhole drilling and remote operation as part of the project. Internal assessments cited by the company show the drilling-performance gap between South African and expatriate operators narrowing over the course of the training program. Expatriate electricians working on the project have also been accredited as competent to work in South Africa, the company said.

Redpath contracts manager Eldie Nortier described the company's relationship with Anglo American Platinum on the project as going beyond a standard commercial arrangement. "We do not approach the relationship simply as a client and contractor," Nortier said.

Mogalakwena is being developed toward underground mining as part of a transition from open-pit extraction to access ore reserves that lie beneath the current pit, according to the company. The Sandsloot section forms part of that broader underground development effort at the complex, Redpath said.

The decision to run Sandsloot's underground access through a decline, rather than sinking a vertical shaft, shapes the sequence of work Redpath has undertaken, with lateral development work preceding the raiseboring and stope-preparation activity now under way, the company said.

Redpath positioned the ahead-of-schedule progress on the Phase B extension as a reflection of the coordinated approach it has taken to managing development, construction and production-preparation work under a single contract, rather than dividing those functions among multiple contractors, according to the company.

The training program for South African operators is continuing alongside the development work, with the company citing the narrowing performance gap between local and expatriate drilling crews as evidence of its progress, Redpath said.