Sasol officially opens Impumelelo Colliery
Sasol officially opened the R5.6-billion colliery situated near Val and Greylingstad on Friday, 12 April which will have the capacity to produce 10,5 million tons of coal per annum.
HIGHVELD – Mineral Resources Minister, Mr Gwede Mantashe, has commended Sasol for the work it is doing and congratulated it for opening a new mine, Impumelelo Colliery.
Sasol officially opened the R5.6-billion colliery situated near Val and Greylingstad on Friday, 12 April which will have the capacity to produce 10,5 million tons of coal per annum.
The colliery currently employs 1760 people, most of them from nearby communities, including from the Govan Mbeki municipal area.
Mr Mantashe is excited that the opening of this mine came at a time in which coal mining is considered a dirty industry.
He called upon Sasol to pursue clean coal technology.
Meaning ‘success’ in Nguni, Impumelelo is one of three world-class mines Sasol has constructed in the last decade as part of its R14-billion mine replacement programme.
The other two mines are Thubelisha and Shondoni in the Govan Mbeki municipal area.
Sasol Joint President and CEO, Mr Bongani Nqwababa, said the mining industry still remains a key pillar in the South African economy after more than 100 years.
He said according to the Minerals Council of South Africa, the sector employed over 450 thousand people in 2018, contributed R22-billion in taxes and a further R127-billion in employee earnings.
He said in 2018 the industry exported R312-billion worth of commodities – 25 per cent of the country’s R1.25-trillion export sales.
“Sasol Group’s contribution to the South African economy is equally significant. For six months, ending in December 2018, we contributed R21,6-billion in taxes, retaining our position as one of the largest corporate taxpayers in the country.
“Impumelelo, Thubelisha and Shondoni Collieries will ensure security of coal supply to our Secunda Synfuels Operation up to at least 2050 and have enabled us to sustain about 4000 jobs.
“Our mining strategy is to remain the leader in safe underground coal mining.”
Mr Nqwababa said a unique feature of the mines is the investment in technologically-advanced measures that Sasol has made to ensure the safety of its employees, as well as the environment.
“These include Proximity Detection Systems on our production electrical trackless machines, which warn and eventually stop the machine from operating when a person is too close.
“Another technology measure that the mines have is an electronic trigger LED flickering light system to enhance the underground safety precautions.
“This system visually draws miners’ attention when there is movement in the roof.
“Other investments are in a variety of noise reduction technologies.”
He said Sasol is making strides in contributing to transformation and that last year it achieved a Level 4 B-BBEE contributor status, well ahead of their 2020 time frame.
Mr Nqwababa said Sasol increased its procurement spend with black owned businesses from R7,4-billion to R12,7-billion and its SMME loan book was valued at R301-million.
He said in developing Impumelelo, Sasol spent nearly R150-million with black-owned, local businesses for civil infrastructure, above-surface buildings, storage structures, surface and underground workshops.
“Our project team worked closely with some of these service providers, equipping them with the relevant know-how for large-scale capital project management and execution.
We continue investing in the development of highly skilled and passionate individuals. At any given time, Sasol has about 1 300 artisans in training.
“We also currently host 250 interns under the President’s Youth Employment Services (YES) programme.”
He further assured Mr Mantashe that South Africa is a home for Sasol and that its commitment remains steadfast.
