Mafube (Pty) Ltd is a 50/50 % Joint venture between Anglo American Thermal Coal and Exxaro. The Mafube plant design capacity is 6 Mt/a. The Metallurgical Manager is responsible for the management of and effective functioning of the Metallurgical Department.Key Work Outputs and Accountabilities:Manage the coal supply chain for the mine through developing and reviewing the long term plan of coal supply over the life of the mine as well as planning the short to medium term supply and identify constraints and challenges.Ensuring the Safety and Health of the Metallurgical Department employees through managing and minimizing SHE risks.Effective project management of Metallurgical projects including the Commisioning of projects and planning for contingencies, setting up milestones, key dates and activities and communicating these to all effective parties as well as managing the risks associated with the projects.Effective people management, ensuring that roles are well defined and clarified and that competences and career paths are developed to capability.Build and maintain stakeholder relationships ensuring that all internal and external stakeholders are kept up to date with regard progress made on various projects, liase with other divisions and keep up to date with relevant matters.Financial Budgeting & Management.The role is a legal appointment in terms of Regulation 2.6.1 & Section 7(4) of the Mine Health and Safety Act and the person in the role is accountable and responsible for the duties that are stipulated therein.Adhoc Projects: Water treatment, Front-end screening and a 50 tph Briquetting plant. The Briquetting plant is the largest of it's kind in SA. As part of the feasibility Study I did extensive test work in France and also visited various PVA suppliers ( France & China - 2011)

Section Head of 85 people, responsible for meeting production targets, quality requirements, establishing and controlling of budget, compliance with the Mine Health and Safety act. Ensure that the processing plant forms part of a multi-disciplinary team to exceed production and safety targets. The Goedehoop processing plant has a annual throughput capacity of 8,7 Million tons. Improvement projects executed: Replacement of sieve bends with static drains, upgrade of 2 & 4 Seam sampling plants & the erection and commissioning of a fine coal recovery plant. I was also part of the the Team that conducted the LASTA pressure filter factory acceptance test (ISHAGAKI in Japan - October 2006). In 2008 I presented a Technical paper (Coal Flotation at Goedehoop Colliery) at the 12th Australian Coal Preparation Society conference at Darling Habour, Sydney, Australia.

Functions include the operational responsibility of Bank 5 plant. Also responsible for setting the standards and practices for the operational and engineering staff. Coordinating technical research and Metallurgical projects to improve plant efficiency. Analyzing critical KPI's & benchmarking against best practice. Co-ordination of month-end data and reports.Ad hoc Projects: Replacement of the Dabmar with a Omni screen, installation of a Ludiwici screen, installation of a over band magnet and grizzly screen on o/land conveyor, automation of the plant by virtue of PLC & COGNOS control, Installation of cone design chutes at the raw coal bins & the installation of a centrifuge in the fines circuit. Bank 5 Coal Processing plant broke all previous production records in 2005.

Appointed as Subordinate Manager designated as Plant Production Manager, general in charge of the Metallurgical operation on the mine, which includes the entire area bounded by the concentrator, tailings dam, aging ponds, Loop 10 rail siding, Saldanha Bay handling facility & Pella Water Board. Were also involved in specific research into tank cells, column cells, new flotation reagents & the treatment of mine effluent water. The water treatment has entailed bacterial remediation, ion precipitation and dewatering of ultra fines.Were also involved with the upgrade of the lead and zinc circuits (conventional float cells to 30 & 40 cubic meter Outokumpu tank cells), feasibility and commissioning of new Larox pressure filter. In the feasibility phase I visited units in Spain, Sweden and Ireland.Black Mountain plant is automated and control is through a Proscon 2100 system. This was upgraded to a Windows NT based system (Cimplicity HMI) using G.E fanuc PLC's. I was responsible for the process control maintenance (including the advance tool package).Other Metallurgical equipment under my responsibility includes: Particle size analyser, Froth Master, Oxygen Sparging and analysis recorder (OSCAR from BOC Gasses), ORP Measurement and the Courier XP30 XRF analyser.Adhoc projects include: Sodium Cyanide plant conversion and the commissioning of a floating penstock.

At Marico Chrome I gained valuable experience on spirals, Diamond pans, Classifying cyclones and the treatment of mine effluent water. The water treatment included the dewatering of ultra fine chrome using rotary screens and cyclones. Other experiences include: Dense medium cyclones, new crushing methods, grinding media and grinding control. Much experience was gained in open cast mining and the resulting blending practices prior to the beneficiation plant. My main function was the feasibility study for the upgrading and commissioning of the rougher, cleaner and scavenger spirals. I was also responsible for optimizing the small lumpy, SPC and fine chrome circuits.

Responsible for 2 Seam plant (LAC & PSS), 4 Seam plant (premium coal), 5 Seam plant (Metallurgical & Domestic coal) & New Clydesdale (LAC & Premium coal). Duties included: Production, New 4 Seam plant project member, Commisioning of the Premium & LAC plants at New Clydesdale, Effeciency testing of all circuits, Commisioning and optimization of KANGELA online ash analysers and Metallurgical accounting.

Practical training at various operations including Libanon (Milling in Cyanide), Kloof, Deelkraal, Zincor, Leeudoorn (CIP), Venterspost, Libanon Laboratories, West Driefontein, East Driefontein and Gold Fields Head Office. Training included shift work, projects on Metallurgical plants and the introduction to the various mining disciplines.The Learner official training program runs over 4 years and comprises of the following stages:Stage 1, 24 Months of shift work and general Metallurgical orientation.Stage 2, 24 Months studies at Wits University of Technology.Stage 1. of the training program is scheduled such that all the areas of Gold Processing are covered. The different areas were: ROM handling, Crushing and screening, Classification, Milling, Gravity separation, Thickening, Leaching, Carbon in pulp, Electrowinning, Elution, Gold Refining, Dewatering, Sampling, Laboratory, Water Reticulation and Plant Maintenance.