The waterfall stopped flowing decades ago due to mining activity at the underground Hlobane colliery, with cracks up to two metres wide developing on Hlobane mountain. Rain that mingled with water run-off from Hlobane mountain became contaminated after seeping into the cracks and through three coal seams before decanting into nearby water catchments.

With that, the Hlobane waterfall stopped flowing.

Kumba closed Hlobane mine five years ago and devised a solution that would minimise mine-related water pollution. The easier and cheaper option would have been to divert the contaminated water to a single decanting point, treat it, and then reintroduce it to the area’s water system.

This option was rejected due to the porous nature of Hlobane mountain, which made it difficult to divert all underground water to a single point. Other options included building embankments on either side of the river, or putting concrete slabs over the cracks to divert the water to another catchment area. These options were rejected as environmentally unfriendly and for their technical difficulty (and hence probability of failure).

Instead, Kumba opted for a more complex solution: to plug the cracks with a sealing liner painted with bitumen, and underlined with a mixture of available soil and bentonite clay. This seal had to be flexible, durable and non-toxic: the bitumen film is non-toxic and bentonite is a naturally-occurring substance. The seal was then covered with rocks and soil and vegetated to prevent it being washed away.

This is one of the first projects of its kind to be successfully carried out in the world. Uniquely, it is part of an integrated water management system. Kumba has already sealed about one kilometre of cracks over an area covering about 1 200 hectares, and even though the project is not yet finished, the Hlobane waterfall is again flowing – despite poor rains recently.

Hlobane mountain was previously the source of four different water catchment areas, but the cracks induced by underground mining activity had disturbed this natural flow. Though some of the cracks were visible to the naked eye, many were not. The cracks were mapped using visual inspection, electro-magnetic and resistivity surveys and infra-red photo-imaging. Cracks were most prevalent above areas where whole seams were mined out, often creating instability in overhanging rocks. This type of mining seldom occurs today, and has been superseded by other mining methods that do not cause geological instability.

The project has attracted interest from water management experts around the world, and Kumba has been asked to share the experience at various conferences.

This year, Kumba plans to continue plugging the remaining gaps, a process which is likely to be ongoing. The objective of the project is to keep clean water clean, by minimising the exposure of Hlobane mountain’s water to pollutants. This objective has been achieved and will be monitored accordingly.

South African law requires the minimisation or prevention of water pollution prior to the issue of a mine closure certificate. Kumba exceeded its legal requirements in its restorative work at Hlobane mountain, in line with its philosophy of sustainable development that involves actively caring for the environment and resources and acknowledging stakeholders’ rights to a safe and healthy natural environment.

A team sealing the cracks on Hlobane mountain as part of Kumba’s pioneering rehabilitation work near the now-closed Hlobane colliery.

THABAZIMBI TAKES GOLD
Due to its successful selective mining project, Thabazimbi iron ore mine received a prestigious gold award from South Africa’s National Productivity Institute (NPI) in 2004.

Selective mining is a common-sense approach to mining that seeks to recover as much ore from the ground as cleanly and efficiently as possible. The main elements for successful selective mining are: accurate geology and planning, disciplined blasting, loading and hauling and effective grade control and blending.

In implementing selective mining at Thabazimbi, paradigms were challenged to maximise saleable product, as opposed to moving tons of by-product that could not be sold. Initiated in 2000, the mine had recorded notable successes by 2003:

• Yield rose from 78% to 89% and 87% respectively in 2001 and 2002, and in some cases over 90%
  
• A vast improvement in constant bed-qualities was achieved
  
• Valueless by-products, phosphate, alumina and potassium decreased
  
• In 2003, planned production was met in 11 out of 12 months –a vast improvement on the previous year when production ran on schedule twice
  
• The mine was also able to build up necessary buffer stockpiles.

Assistant foreman Andre Zimba with primary mining equipment at Thabazimbi.

SISHEN’S ROLE IN COMMUNITY ACKNOWLEDGED
Sishen’s successful and proactive approach to community development is being used as a case study by the Unisa Centre for Corporate Citizenship. Sishen, located just west of Kuruman in the Northern Cape, is home to approximately 3 200 mine-connected families. Kathu, the mine’s town, is part of a wider system of rural communities with a total population of nearly 30 000 people, mostly low-income rural farm labourers and subsistence farmers.

The following edited extracts from the Unisa study highlight the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach to sustainable development.

IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT BUDGET
Corporate citizenship is not unlike any other department in any other company. Most managers would be happier with bigger budgets to help them meet their targets, and the team at Sishen is no different. But this team proves that budget is not always the answer. Rather, finding resources available locally and linking these to market demand combined with creative management and the right intervention at the right time can often achieve a lot more than any additional spend could.

The Sishen team has an ambitious agenda to meet with a relatively limited budget. For a company of this nature, social investment is about more than development. It is about building relationships with key stakeholders, such as government and local communities, and mitigating risk. The company is required to align its projects with the development needs of the province, and the legislative requirements of the mining charter. The mine’s corporate citizenship manager also sits on various regional development forums, and its social investment plan needs to incorporate the requirements of the Kgalagadi District Municipality Mining Forum, the Gamagara Development Forum, the Kgamagara IDP Representative Forum and the development planning of the municipality. While ensuring that it is aligned with all these various levels of compliance, the mine has to ensure that its meets its obligations to the surrounding communities. While the development plans of the municipalities consider many aspects of development, the mine has concentrated its efforts on two of these – human development and training, and job creation.

CONNECTING RESOURCES AND DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS INCREASES CAPACITY
What is remarkable about Sishen’s project is the level of interconnected-ness of all its components, and the level of cooperation between the stakeholders. When the leather project required a larger tanning machine, Kgalagadi Charcoal required a new donkey cart or the Tshipi Training Centre required new buildings, students at the Tshipi Centre were trained, used and paid to complete this work. When the owners of the Butterfield project required training in baking and business management, this was offered at the Kathu Technical College with the support of Sishen. What is also evident is the value of strong well-managed partnerships in making things work. These partnerships in various projects exist with government at various levels, the communities and other parties such as Mintek which supports the jewellery project, the local hospital which supports the health learnership, the Institute of Leatherworks supporting the leather project, or the farmers who support the charcoal project.

COMMUNITY TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY
Each of the projects in education and training and enterprise development are designed to give people in the community a push start towards achieving their own economic liberation. While the money can initiate projects and remains there as a support, it is up to the community to make them work in the long term. Kumba and Sishen believe that the historical practice of handouts is over. Sishen continues to follow the progress of each of its projects and will provide support when required, but the true aim is for the mine to exit projects to achieve sustainable enterprises and individuals who are economically self-sufficient.

Details of the numerous individual projects initiated and supported by Kumba and its operations are available on www.kumbaresources.com.

The Kgalagadi Charcoal project at Sishen.