The R7 billion Kalagadi Manganese mine launched seven key projects on 29 November 2013, among them the substation and the sinter plant which Minister Patel pointed out was the largest in the world. Other key projects opened were the mine shaft, the rail line, the road infrastructure, the ore preparation, the reservoir, the electricity substation.
The substation that Minister Patel opened has a 40 MVA power supply capacity that is sufficient to meet the energy requirements of the mine in totality. It also is a showcase of the benefits of government’s Infrastructure Development Programme. Although the substation will primarily service the Kalagadi Manganese mine, it will also provide power to nearby communities in Hotazel and Klipkop and other surrounding mines.
The Chairperson of Kalagadi Manganese Daphne Mashile-Nkosi indicated during the ceremony that not even one single piece of manganese would leave the mine, without attaching some form of beneficiation for the people of South Africa. She also reiterated her commitment to building a smelter in the Eastern Cape, to further beneficiate their product. This is very much in line with South Africa’s key economic strategy which seeks to drive for the local beneficiation of the country’s mineral resources.
The company invested in excess of R3 billion to build the plant, and during the construction phase of this plant more than 2800 jobs have been created.
