the people of drdgold issue 17 | march 2011 a ... · ryno credits colleague lynn gough, assistant...

Asikhulume Asikhulume

HEALTH– your greatest asset

DREAMS COME TRUE

DRDGOLD in Zimbabwe

PAGE 3

Blyvoor General Manager Owen O’Brien is pleased with his

workforce. For the fi rst time in a long time Blyvoor has produced

a tonne of gold during a quarter. To be precise, 1 014kg of gold.

O’Brien attributes the tonne to a number of factors. “In order to

create more fl exibility, we have done a lot of development and opened

up more areas. This creates more accessibility underground,” he

explains. “We have also been mining higher-grade areas, and that is

helpful. But I would like to thank our workers who have also played an

important part in this achievement.” During the month of December

Blyvoor managed to break 16 424m2. This is the highest amount broken

in a month for fi ve years.

“A few years ago our stope workers were averaging 12 - 13m2 a

month, but now they are averaging 18m2. During December they broke

20.6m2, so effi ciencies have defi nitely improved. Every little bit helps,”

says O’Brien.

Although this is good news, the challenge to keep production at

these levels remains. O’Brien reports that a number of diffi culties lie

ahead. “We are facing three major issues,” he says. “In April, Eskom

will increase its prices. In June we have wage negotiations and from

June to August we have to pay Eskom’s winter tariffs. All of these

are going to have an effect on our profi ts as they will all increase

operating costs.

“What we all need to do now is continue to work hard. Every worker

must use the same energy and dedication he or she showed in the last

quarter,” says O’Brien. “That will allow us to put money in the bank to

help us during the winter when our costs will be really high.”

Despite the need to break ground and the feeling of success when

record amounts of gold are produced, all management agree on one

thing – safety. “We have to work smartly but always safely,” says O’Brien.

“We are now at the stage where all our past hard work is paying off.

We’ve pushed up tonnage, created fl exibility and are working better

grades. It is up to each one of us to make the year ahead a success.

It’s going to be exciting and I’m very positive about

the future of Blyvoor.”

BLYVOOR’STONNE OF

GOLD

Translation on page 2

Let’s Talk

ISSUE 17 | March 2011 a quarterly newspaper for the people of DRDGOLD

About saving lives Have a positive attitude Respect colleagues’ safety

Don’t take shortcuts Follow safety procedures

Better for you. Better for your family

ka ho dula o phela E ba le maikutlo a nang le

tshepo Hlompha polokeho ya

basebetsi-mmoho O se ke wa kgaoletsa ditsela Latela mekgwatshebetso e

bolokehileng

E metle bakeng sa hao. E metle bakeng sa ba lelapa la hao.

about it

ka hoo

PAGE 7

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D R D G O L D – T H E P R E F E R R E D E M P L O Y E R I N T H E G O L D M I N I N G I N D U S T R Y

PAGE 4

Owen O’Brien

Asikhulume_News_28Feb.indd 1Asikhulume_News_28Feb.indd 1 2011/03/17 4:24 PM2011/03/17 4:24 PM

Asikhulume ISSUE 17 • March 20112

U-Owen O’Brien wanelisekile ngabasebenzi bakhe. “Wonke umntu usebenze nzima ngekota

kaDisemba kwaye sivelise ngaphezulu kwetani enye yegolide,” utsho.

U-O’Brien, onguManejala oMkhulu wase-Blyvoor, ucacisile ukuba zininzi izizathu zale

mpumelelo, kodwa uthe abasebenzi badlale indima ebalulekileyo. Unika ingxelo yokuba

kwaqhekezwa umgama weemitha ezingama 16 424 zomhlaba ngoDisemba – elona nani likhulu

kuyo nayiphina inyanga kwiminyaka emihlanu.

U-O’Brien ulumkisa wonke umntu ukuba akhumbule ukuba kukho ubunzima

ngaphambili. “obu bunzima bubandakanya ukunyuka kwamaxabiso ase-Eskom, amazinga

eentlawulo asebusika wase-Eskom kunye nothethathethwano ngemivuzo. Le miba iyakunyusa

iindleko zokuqhuba umsebenzi kwaye inciphise iinzuzo,” utsho.

“Ngoko ke kufuneka siqhubeke ukusebenza nzima kwezi nyanga zimbalwa zizayo ukuze

sibeke imali ebhankini, eyakusinceda xa iindleko zinyuke mpela.”

“Kwakhona masikhumbule ukuba kufuneka sisoloko sisebenza ngokukhuselekileyo,”

utsho u-O’Brien. “Singanonyaka omhle kakhulu ukubangaba wonke umsebenzi udlala

indima yakhe.”

Andy van den Heever

was recently appointed Chief Surveyor at Blyvooruitzicht. His mining

career began almost 30 years ago in Welkom where he was employed as

a learner sampler. Over the years he has studied and obtained Chamber

of Mines certifi cates and government tickets, most recently the Mine

Surveyor’s certifi cate. He is now planning to study for a General Diploma

in Engineering through Wits University.

DRDGOLD, and Blyvoor in particular, has

a very large number of employees with

long service. At Blyvoor, 54 staffers

have served the mine for 20 years or

longer. The non-staff payroll shows a

staggering 337 people have worked

for longer than 20 years. In the next

few editions, Asikhulume hopes to find

out the secret that keeps employees

loyal to DRDGOLD.

Sikeme Lekhooana has

27 years’ service. He joined Blyvoor in 1983

as a lasher (now known as a stope team

member). Within a month he was working

in the gang offi ce looking after the cardex

system. “In those days miners were checked

on and off shift manually,” explains Sikeme.

“Now the systems are run by computers.”

A later job involved verifying NUM

stop orders. In 1991 he was appointed

personnel assistant and he worked at 4,

2 and 5 shaft. He is currently the HR offi cer

at 6 shaft.

When asked what has kept him at Blyvoor,

Sikeme recalls his father’s advice. “My dad

was a fi rst-aid attendant at De Beers in

Kimberley for 36 years. He told me it was

not necessary to change jobs and run after

money. I understood he was telling me that if

I had a good job, I should stay there. The grass

is not greener on the other side of the fence.”

Sikeme is quick to point out that he has been

fortunate. “I have always worked with good

people and have had no problems with my

supervisors. They have all been marvellous

people,” he says.

People in the newsPeople in the news

BAMBE ITANIBAMBE ITANI KWIMIGODI YASE-BLYVOOR KWIMIGODI YASE-BLYVOOR

GOOD STUFF……but where to from here?How nice it is to page through this issue

of Asikhulume and to see how many

good things have been happening in

DRDGOLD lately:

a great set of operating and fi nancial results

in the December quarter (page 4);

Blyvoor producing its fi rst tonne of gold in

a quarter for the fi rst time in a long, long

time (front page story);

Crown on track with the new pipeline to

link its operations with those of Ergo, thus

extending its life (page 5);

Ergo making good progress on the

refurbishment of its second carbon in leach

circuit to increase production (page 5); and

lots of our colleagues working hard to

improve themselves, and to make things

better not only for themselves and their

families but also for their colleagues and

communities (pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8).

While it’s important, of course, that we

take time to congratulate ourselves on the

things we’ve done, it’s also important that

we look ahead, and keep asking ourselves the

tough questions:

Are we on track in terms of reaching

our strategy – sustaining the recovery of

Blyvoor’s underground operations, and

growing the number of low-risk, low-

cost, higher-margin ounces of gold we

produce from the Crown and Ergo surface

operations?

Do people – investors in particular – see

DRDGOLD as a leader in the South African

gold mining industry in terms of safety and

productivity?

Can we, as a company, be proud of our

relationship with the environment?

Do the communities around our

operations see us as being a responsible,

reliable neighbour?

Is DRDGOLD a place where employees can

reach their professional and personal goals?

Do we always remember that our operations

belong to our shareholders and that we

are looking after their investment? Do we

remember that we get paid to protect and

manage the investment as best we can?

If we are honest in our answers to these

tough questions, we will realise there is

always room for us to improve as we do

our jobs.

There is nothing wrong with giving

ourselves a “high fi ve” for doing a good job,

but we must then get back to work – always

with safety in mind.

Niël’sNote

Ryno Bornman began his studies at North West

University, but later abandoned them when he went into the

workplace. At the end of 2010 he wrote his fi nal B Com exams

through Damelin and he passed with six distinctions. The graduation

ceremony took place in February. Ryno joined the company in 2006

as a shaft accountant at Blyvoor. He has worked at Corporate Offi ce,

Crown and is now fi nancial accountant at ERPM where he also does

some work for Ergo. Ryno credits colleague Lynn Gough, assistant

fi nancial manager at ERGO, for motivating and encouraging him to

resume his studies and to fi nish the degree.DRDGOLDDRDGOLDlonglongservice service cornercorner 2727

yearsyears


AsikhulumeISSUE 17 • March 2011 3

DRDGOLD recently announced a change in the group structure. This was done to separate the

different types of operations - surface retreatment and underground. “The change does not

affect our workers in any way,” says DRDGOLD CEO, Niël Pretorius. “We wanted to separate

the underground operation from the surface operations to give investors more choice.

Some people prefer to put money into surface while others prefer investing in underground

operations. The new structure will enable them to select exactly what they do with their money.”

The surface operations at Ergo, Crown and ERPM are now part of a company called Ergo

Mining Operations. Blyvooruitzicht, where mining is mainly underground, will continue to be

known as Blyvooruitzicht Gold Mining Company. Both companies are now owned as follows:

DRDGOLD Limited 74%, Khumo Gold 20% and DRDSA Empowerment Trust 6%.

What’s in a name?What’s in a name?New names but nothing changes for workersNew names but nothing changes for workers

IMPILO – ngundoqo ebomini bakhoImpilo entle ibalulekile. Ukubangaba awuphilanga kakuhle awunako ukusebenza okanye awunakubonwabela ubomi. Abaphathi base-Blyvoor bafuna wonke umsebenzi abenempilo kangangoko kunokwenzeka. Kulo nyaka, iiklinikhi zasemayini zizakulandela ikhalenda yeMpilo yeLizwe yaseMzantsi Afrika. Le khalenda yindlela yokunika abantu inkcazelo ngezigulo ezingaphezulu kwe 100 okanye imibandela yempilo kumaxesha awohlukeneyo wonyaka.

Ngala maxesha, abasebenzi bangatyelela iiklinikhi, inqwelo ehambayo ye-Mothusimpilo, okanye isibhedlele apho isitafu siyakukunika ululeko nenkcazelo ebalulekileyo. Ngoko ke, ngomhla we 10 March ungatyelela iiklinikhi ukuze ufumanise ukuba ungazigcina njani na izintso zakho zinempilo kwaye ungabona njani na xa kukho into engalunganga. Ngomhla weHlabathi we TB (World TB Day), ungafunda nge-TB; kwaye naninina phakathi komhla we 4 nowe 10 Epreli ungafumanisa banzi ngesifo ekuthiwa yipoliyo.

Ngenxa yokuba impilo ibalulekile, abaphathi baqashe ‘abafundisi abangoogxa’ abahlanu ukuze baqinisekise ukuba wonke umsebenzi uyayazi ikhalenda.

Ungaphoswa lithuba lakho. Qinisekisa ukuba uyayifumana le nkcazelo yamahala. Ingasindisa ubomi bakho okanye bomntwana wakho.

Abantu abangama 3500 basebenza e-Blyvoor. Iiklinikhi zityelelwa zizigulane ezingama 2000 qho ngenyanga. Sebenzisa iklinikhi xa ugula! Sebenzisa iklinikhi ukuze ufumane inkcazelo yokukugcina unempilo!

Mabitso a matjha empa ha ho na diphetoho tsa letho bakeng sa basebetsiDRDGOLD e sa tswa hweletsa diphetoho tse itseng sebopehong sa khampani. Hona

ho entswe bakeng sa ho arola mefuta e fapaneng ya ditshebetso – tshebetso ka hodimo

le tsa ka tlase mokoting. “Diphetoho ha di ame basebetsi ba rona,” ho rialo CEO wa

DRDGOLD Ltd, Niël Pretorius. “Re ne re batla ho arola mefuta e mebedi ya tshebetso ho

neha batsetedi boikgethelo bo bongata. Jwale ba se ba ka etsa qeto ya hore na ba tsetela

tshebetsong tsa ka tlase mokoting kapa tsa ka hodimo.

Tshebetso tsa ka hodimo tsa Ergo, Crown le ERPM jwale di se di le karolo ya khampani

e bitswang Ergo Mining Operations. Blyvooruitzicht, moo ho rafa ho etsahalng haholo

ka tshebetso tsa ho rafa tsa ka tlase mokoting jwale e se e tla tsejwa ka Blyvooruitzicht

Gold Mining Company. Dikhampani ka bobedi jwale di se di tla tshwarwa ka mokgwa

o latelang: DRDGOLD Limited 74%, Khumo Gold 20% mme DRDSA Empowerment

Trust 6%.

At the Blyvoor clinics there will be the same

attention to the selected health issues as in other

health centres around the country.

Employees may already have noticed the

posters for World Cancer Day, Pregnancy

Awareness Week and STI Condom Week in

February.

All employees are welcome to visit the clinics,

the Mothusimpilo mobile van, or the occupational

health centre where staff will provide counselling

and important information on the topic of the

day, week or month. So, on 10 March you can visit

the clinics to fi nd out how to keep your kidneys

healthy and tips that might tell you something

is wrong. On World TB Day, you can learn

about TB; and any time between 4 and 10 April

you can fi nd out more about the disease

called polio.

Every employee that visits the clinic will be

reminded of the Health Awareness Campaign and

posters will be put up each month to highlight

the topics.

Management thinks it is so important that

employees know about the campaign that they

have employed fi ve “peer educators”. This group

of educators will work in the mine community to

spread the message. They will visit hostels, clinics

and the intake centre in order to encourage people

to get educated.

The information is waiting for you! Make sure

you don’t miss out. It could save your life or that

of a family member.

March/Matshi8 National Women’s Day/

UMhla weLizwe waBasetyhini

10 World Kidney Day/

UMhla weHlabathi weZintso

20 World Head Injury Awareness Day/

UMhla weHlabathi woLwazi

ngoLwenzakalo lwaseNtloko

21 - 27 World Salt Awareness Week/

IVeki yeHlabathi yoLwazi ngeTyuwa

21 Human Rights Day/

UMhla waMalungelo oLuntu

Down Syndrome Day/

UMhla weeNgxaki zokuDakumba

24 World TB Day/

UMhla weHlabathi we-TB

April/Epreli2 World Autism Awareness Day/

UMhla weHlabathi woKwazisa

ngeeNgxaki zokuNxibelelana naBantu

4 - 10 National Polio Awareness Week/

IVeki yeLizwe yoKwazisa ngePoliyo

7 World Health Day/

UMhla weHlabathi weMpilo

17 World Haemophilia Day/

UMhla weHlabathi woKopha

25 Africa Malaria Day/

UMhla wase-Afrika weSifo

seeNgcongconi

This is the calendar for March and April/Le yikhalenda yango Matshi nango Epreli

Four of Blyvoor’s fi ve peer educators

HEALTH- your greatest - your greatest

assetasset

Good health is very important because, if you are not healthy, you are unable to work and to enjoy life. Blyvoor management would like every employee to be as healthy as possible. This year, the mine clinics will link their activities to the South African National Health calendar. Over 100 illnesses or health issues are given a day, a week or a month during the year. During this period, health professionals focus on educating people on the chosen topic.

Blyvoor’s workforce includes 3 500 people. Blyvoor clinics

average 2 000 patient visits each

month. Your clinic can treat your

problems and give you valuable

information that helps keep you healthy!

a

mo

pro

iin



Tragic death of proto captain :

Hugh du PlooyHugh du Plooy – a shiftboss at 5 shaft and captain of one of the mine’s two proto teams – died on 29 December after collapsing underground while conducting a recce.

Du Plooy, who had been a member of the proto team for 13 of his 14 years at Blyvoor, was in his early 30s and extremely fi t. He was airlifted to hospital in Johannesburg, but tragically died without regaining consciousness.

Du Plooy – whose career at Blyvoor began as a learner miner – was close to completing his qualifi cation as a Mine Overseer when he died. As a member of the proto team he was respected for his dedication, loyalty and commitment to whatever rescue or reconnaissance was required.

Mine overseer and fellow proto team captain, Morne van Tonder says: “Hugh had integrity and humility. He performed his duties with pride and his friends and colleagues were proud to be part of his life. He had a way of bringing out the best in everyone and

his heart was as pure as the gold he mined.”

Phillip Watters, General Manager: Projects, says: “Hugh was a well-liked and well-respected colleague. He was a strong and valuable asset to the Blyvoor community and to his family. His death was untimely and he will be sorely missed.”

The management and staff of Blyvoor are deeply saddened by Hugh’s passing. He is survived by his wife, Lisa; his son, Jonathan; and daughter, Chane.

The quarter ending 31 December 2010 saw

DRDGOLD’s operating profi t increase by

118% to R151.5 million. This increase is

the result of higher gold production, an

improved Rand gold price and lower costs.

Ergo and Crown contributed to the results

with steady performances, while Blyvoor showed

a 6% increase in total gold production to

69 446oz. About 65% of total gold production for

the quarter was from surface sources.

Productivity at Blyvoor was positive – per

capita output per in-stope employee for the

quarter under review was 33% higher than the

December 2009 quarter. The 2010 fi gure of

17.6m compares well with 13.3m for the same

period in 2009.

The average Rand gold price was 5% higher

at R303 495/kg. Cash operating costs dropped

by 5% to R495.8 million. Operating costs were

lower because there were no additional charges

from Eskom.

Capital expenditure was 31% higher, mainly

due to the Crown-Ergo pipeline and refurbishment

of the second carbon in leach (CIL) circuit at

Ergo’s Brakpan plant. More than 7km of the 55km

pipeline has already been laid and the project

should be completed by the end of 2011.

The refurbishment of Ergo’s second CIL plant

– due for completion in 2012 – will increase the

operation’s capacity to 1.8Mtpm.

For information on DRDGOLD in Zimbabwe,

see article on page 7.

Asikhulume is pleased to congratulate Lindiwe Mapaila and Nelio Monjane who both recently completed the Diploma in Mining Engineering at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

Lindiwe, aged 22, joined Crown in December

2007 where she learnt about metallurgy. This

exposure motivated her to enrol for the diploma

and DRDGOLD supported her with a bursary.

During the practical part of the course, Lindiwe spent time at Blyvoor and ERPM. She is now working towards her rock-breaking certifi cate at Goldfi elds Academy and the next hurdle is a Safety Production Supervisor’s Course.

Asked what attracted her to the formerly male area of mining, Lindiwe said: “Miners work very hard to produce minerals that are important for our country. I wanted to be part of that. I also love the thrill of going underground.” Lindiwe is being

groomed by DRDGOLD to become a manager at some future date. She sees this role as a challenge. “My aim will be to help motivate the workforce to enjoy what they are doing because it is important, not just because it puts food on the table.”

She is grateful to her mentors, Josiah Tshisevhe, Wels Sempe, Barry de Blocq, Hennie King and Joao Mahumane for encouraging her to stay focused.

Nelio Monjane is a mining trainee at Blyvooruitzicht. He joined DRDGOLD as a mining

intern in 2008 after he had completed his fi rst year

studying mining engineering at UJ. He was granted

a DRDGOLD bursary and in 2009 he completed

his diploma. He has already completed his Rock

Breaking Certifi cate and, like Lindiwe, will soon be

doing the Safety Production Supervisor’s Course.

Additional study and hard work should result in

Nelio becoming a future manager.

DRDGOLD’s quarterly performance

OPERATING PROFIT INCREASE

118%

Dreams Dreams come come

truetrueDRDGOLD’s

helping hand to mining

trainees

Lindiwe Mapaila knows education and hard work

are the key to success

Proto teams• play an invaluable role in safety-related

situations including seismic, orepass, shaft and FOG events;

• they rescue miners and recover bodies;• they conduct recces;• they fi ght fi res;• they build and remove seals

underground;• they use rope equipment to examine ore

passes and for rescue purposes; and• they use other specialised equipment to

cut and lift.



Papadi ya bolo ya maoto kgahlanong le botlokotsebeHo sebedisa dipapadi ho thibela boshoduBoshodu ba dikheibole ke bothata bo boholo. Nako le nako karolwana ya kheibole e ya

utswiwa, e be ho ba le motho ya sotlehang. Ha kheibole e utswitswe ho tswa ho reclamation

site, tonnage e ya theoha ho fi hlela e tlatselletswa hape.

Josiah Tshisevhe, motsamaisi wa SBU wa Knights, o entse qeto ya hore karabo ke ya

ho hlophisa thonamente ya bolo ya maoto ya selemo le selemo e kenyelletsang baahi ba

sebaka. Botsamaisi ba Knights, Primrose SAPS le baetapele ba baahi ho tswa dibakeng tsa

mekhukhung tsa Makause le Ramaphosa ba ile ba kopana ho rera ketsahalo ena.

Ho ne ho ena le dihlopha tse 24 mme dipapadi di ile tsa bapalwa ka mantshano ho tloha

ka la 27 Pudungwana ho isa ho la 5 Tshitwe. Ho ile ha abelwa dikgau mane Old Apostolic

Church e Makause ka la 15 Tshitwe. Elisa Nhlapo o ile a amohela moputso wa sehlopha se

basadi se fentseng - R750, yunifomo ya bolo ya maoto le mohope. Moputso wa bashanyana

ba dile mo tse ka tlase ho tse 16 o ile wa amohelwa ke Happy Mndebele. Ho bile le meputso

e meng hape e fapaneng.

“Jwale re se re bopile setswalle le baahi ba se baka,” ho rialo Josiah. “Nakong e tlang, re

tshepa hore badudi bat la abelana le rona lesedi le mabapi le botlokotsebe bon eng bo ntse

bo etsuwa e be ba re fadimehisa ka boo bo ntseng bo rerwa.”

Ka hodima bolo ya maoto ho ne ho ena le mmino o mongata feela. Barry de Blocq,

Motsamaisi Kakaretso, wa Corporate Services o itse: “Ketsahalo ena e re nehile boiphihlelo

bo boholo ka dibaka tsa mekhukhung ka mmino o felletseng wa makeisheneng (Ekasi).”

Buti Biloane, Motsamaisi wa Diphetoho le Ntshetsopele e Tswellang, wa DRDGOLD o

itse: “Ho na le mmino o mongata o tla thabisa bohle.”

DRDGOLD e rata ho leboha Asanda (Ramaphosa) le General, Norman le Simon

(Makause) bakeng sa ho thusa ho hlophisa thonamente eo e atlehileng!

SOCCER SOCCER AGAINST AGAINST CRIMECRIME

What do you do when your business cannot function because of cable theft? This was the question faced by the SBU Manager at Knights Plant, Josiah Tshisevhe. Each time a piece of cable was stolen from a reclamation site, tonnage dropped for the month because work had to be stopped in order to replace

the cable.Tshisevhe decided that the best way to deal with

the problem was to talk to the community, and in the wake of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, what better way to do this than to organise an annual soccer tournament? Tshisevhe believes in being pro-active. “I think that showing our support for the community by organising a soccer tournament is an important way of building the relationship with the locals,” he says. “We hope that as a result of this initiative the community will be encouraged to share information with us about crimes that have been committed and – better still – alert us to those that are being planned.”

The management of Knights and the Primrose SAPS met with community leaders from the Makause and Ramaphosa settlements in order to develop the idea and plan the tournament.

In the end, 24 clubs from the Makause and

Ramaphosa squatter camps participated. Games

were played on a knock-out basis beginning on

27 November through to the fi nals on 5 December

when Ramaphosa clubs were transported to

Makause.

At the fi nals there was lots of music. Barry de

Blocq, General Manager: Corporate Services, says

of the event: “It was unlike anything I have enjoyed

in the past. It was a squatter camp experience

complete with Ekasi music.”

Buti Biloane, Transformation and Sustainable

Development Manager says: “The DJs rocked the

place. There was plenty of music to keep everyone

happy.”

The prize-giving ceremony was held at the Old

Apostolic Church in Makause on 15 December. The

winning ladies team, represented by Elisa Nhlapo,

received R750, soccer kit and a trophy. The prize

for the under-16 boys was accepted by Happy

Mndebele. Other prizes were also awarded.

DRDGOLD would like to thank Asanda

(Ramaphosa) and General, Norman and Simon

(Makause) for helping organise a successful

tournament!

Activity on the Crown to Ergo pipeline has increased

dramatically since the beginning of the year. The full length –

50 000m – of steel pipeline has been delivered. It is stockpiled

in strategic areas along the pipe route. Henry Gouws, Crown

General Manager, says: “By the end of February about half the

distance to Crown will have been installed. The next step is the

installation of the high-density polyurethane (HDPE) lining.”

Project Engineer Dean Lindecke reports: “The installation crews are

now moving into Germiston. As this is a built-up area, it provides more

challenges. We will have to work smartly to maintain steady progress.”

By mid-February, 5 000m of the lining had been prepared for

installation. This involved welding sections into 500m lengths. “Work

on the pulling of the HDPE liner began on 16 February. A project of

this scale is a fi rst for South Africa,” Dean explains with pride.

Work on the three pump stations required for the project has also

started, and 49 Envirotech D-frames are now being overhauled. Civil

work at the Brakpan Dam has also started.

Refurbishment on the second carbon in leach circuit at the ERGO

plant is progressing well and the six tanks that are needed should be

fi nished by June 2011. This, together with the pipeline to the City Deep

Plant – which should then have been completed – will allow City to

redirect its tailings to the Ergo tailings dam. This will, in turn, allow

the decommissioning process of the Crown tailings facilities to begin.

The Crown operations will once again be restored to full capacity.

Work to increase the capacity of the Brakpan tailings dam to at

least 1.8 million tonnes per month has also started. “It is expected that

the modifi cations to the dam will increase total capacity by another

275 million tonnes, while maintaining the highest possible

environmental standards,” explains Henry.

About R192 million of the budgeted R300 million for this year

has already been committed, and R96 million has been invoiced to date.

“This project is on a very tight schedule,” explains Henry. “However

the Crown and Ergo teams are motivated to delivering within both the

time and budget.”

Using sport to stop thefts

PIPELINE PIPELINE PROJECT PROJECT PICKS UPPICKS UPPACEPACE Workers preparing pipes for the HDPE lining



Past learners – Vincent Mudaweni, Jan Mogapi, Justice Ndlangamandla

Edwin Dzivhani, Maria Mazibuko and Oupa Edwin Mofolo are on engineering learnerships

B M Buthelezi is a qualifi ed operative

Brakpan tailings dam – making good

Linzuzo kumacala omabini I-Crown inebhongo ngabasebenzi abathandathu boomatshini, abaphumelele

uqeqesho ngo 2010 kwicandelo lokudibanisa nokulungisa oomatshini kunye

nokubilisa okanye ukunyibilikisa (jonga uluhlu lwamagama). Umsebenzi

womatshini sisikhundla esitsha kwaye sisiphumo sesivumelwano phakathi

kwabaphathi nombutho wabasebenzi i-National Union of Mineworkers. Aba

basebenzi bagqibe iinkqubo zabo zezakhono ezibhalisiweyo baze bachitha malunga

neenyanga ezintandathu e-EBDA.

Aba basebenzi boomatshini badlala indima ebalulekileyo kulungiso lwemihla

ngemihla lobuxhakaxhaka basemsebenzini. Bazakwenza imisebenzi esisiseko ebikade

idinga umchweli, efana nokucumba ngokutsha impompo okanye ukubuyisela iqhosha

eliwileyo lokucima nokulayita.

Abasebenzi boomatshini bazakunceda banciphise izihlandlo zokubizwa

kwabachweli, ngaloo ndlela ke kuhliswe iindleko zokuqhutywa komsebenzi. Kwakhona,

ayakuncipha amathuba wokuma komsebenzi.

Njengoko abasebenzi boomatshini bevunywa liGunya leeKhwalifi kheyishini

zaseMigodini, i-Mining Qualifi cation Authority, banenzuzo. Umsebenzi angasuka

ekubeni ngumncedisi jikelele wobunjineli aye kuba ngumncedi, aze abengumsebenzi

womatshini phambi kokuba afundele ukuba ngumchweli onesatifi kethi somsebenzi

wezandla.

Elinye iqela labasebenzi lenza izifundo ezinoqeqesho lomsebenzi wezandla

(jonga uluhlu lwamagama). Ngoku baqeqeshelwa emsebenzini ukuze bazuze amava

afanelekileyo.

Eli qela linethemba lokuvavanyelwa izakhono zomsebenzi wezandla ngo-Epreli.

Umntu ngamnye ukubangaba uphumelele, uzakuzuza isatifi keti sesakhono sokwenza

umsebenzi wezandla seCandelo 13, abe ngumchweli wombane wokulayita okanye

umdibanisi nomlungisi woomatshini. U-Maria Mazibuko uzakubanenyhweba

yokubalinenekazi lokuqala elingumchweli eliveliswe yi-Crown.

Amagama wabafundi bango 2009 nango 2010 nawo akuluhlu. U-Haaniem Smith,

ongumlungelelanisi woqeqesho, uthe: “Eli qela liqhuba kakuhle kakhulu. Bonke

baqeshelwe ukubangabachweli. Kwaye abanye basiwe kumanye amaziko omsebenzi.”

Louis Kleynhans, Environmental

Manager: Crown, reports that work

on the rehabilitation of the Brakpan

tailings dam is going according to plan.

Fifty-fi ve of the total 200ha still have

to be fi xed.

Storm water launders have been

installed (11 636m to date) and 130 road

crossings constructed.

Twelve hectares of vegetation have

been established next to the launders

to prevent erosion. A further 13ha will

be improved by planting vegetation.

R375 000 has been spent on vegetation until now.

To prevent erosion, dust, and a sustainable vegetation cover, the side slopes have been profi led between 18 and 20 degrees and clad with dolorite material excavated from the south side of the dam.

To date 800 000 cubic metres of dolorite have been excavated for the cladding process.

The rehabilitation project is scheduled for completion around July 2011.

Crown is proud of its fi rst operatives in the area of fi tting and boilermaking (see list). The position of operative is a new one and is the outcome of an agreement between management and the National Union of Mineworkers. The agreement required career paths for all employees to be created, especially those in the Engineering Department.

The six employees qualifi ed at the end of 2010, after completing three registered skills programmes covering topics such as mechanical handling, mechanical fi tting and fabrication/boilermaking. The group spent about six months at Ekurhuleni Business Development Academy (EBDA) during training.

As qualifi ed operatives these individuals now have a valuable role to play in the daily maintenance of plant equipment. Operatives will also be deployed on shift to assist with some of the more basic tasks that used to require an artisan being called out. The routine cases that operatives can assist with include repacking a pump or resetting a tripped switch.

The role of operatives will greatly reduce the number of artisan call-outs, bringing down the operating costs of the plant and helping to ensure continuous operations by minimising downtime.

There is a benefi t also for the employee. The new qualifi cation of operative is recognised by the Mining Qualifi cation Authority and aligned with the Mining Charter’s aim of developing employees. The typical career path would be from engineering general assistant to aide, and then to operative. Once qualifi ed as an

operative, an employee can continue with a full learnership, becoming a trade-certifi ed artisan.

Another group of workers is currently busy with trade learnerships (see list). They began the course – which is a combination of theory, practical and on-the-job training – in 2008 and are now busy with the training to gain relevant experience.

This group hopes to be trade-tested in April. If successful, each person will receive a Section 13 trade certifi cate and become an electrician or fi tter. Maria Mazibuko will have the honour of being the fi rst female artisan produced by Crown.

Crown would also like to commend the group of learners who qualifi ed in 2009 and 2010 as riggers, fi tters, electricians and boilermakers (see list). Haaniem Smith, training co-ordinator for surface operations, said: “This group of artisans is doing extremely well. Each person went through a six-month re-integration process after completing the course, and all have been appointed as artisans. Some have already been posted to other plants.”

BENEFITS FOR BENEFITS FOR BOTH SIDESBOTH SIDES

List/Uluhlu lwamagamaOperatives M S Bhengu, B M Buthelezi, S S Dondashe,

M Motsoko, J V Mndaweni and W W Tutu.

Current trade learnershipsP G Molatsi, P E Dzivhani, O E Mofolo, M

M Mazibuko, M Meyer, N M Nhlapo, I T

Teledimo, S Legodi, S P Buthelezi,

L A Msimanga, J B van Loggerenberg, M F Tyibela, S Thwala, H C N le Roux, B G Fakude, T J Shabalala, P S Mmebe, S Ndlovu, S B Ndolo, N P Msimango, S N Ngcobo, N L Malinga, S H Msomi, N S Ngcobo, R Tshibato.

Qualifi ed artisansVincent Mudaweni, Jan Mogapi, Justice Ndlangamandla, Titus Khoza, Raymond Ncgobo, Isaac Mokoti, DephCity Mashego and Lareon Cloete.



Juan Oosthuizen, Blyvoor’s Metallurgical Manager, is a

busy man. When Asikhulume visited the mine recently he

whisked us around several of his projects.

The fi rst visit was to the surface clean-up operations

at Annan dump. Juan sums up his job as “recovering gold

effectively”. Because the old mining techniques were less

effi cient, there is plenty of old gold lying around. “We began

mining areas within the perimeter of our old plants as we knew

that spillages would have resulted in gold being deposited

there,” explains Juan. “We mined to depths of 1.5 metres and

the grades were typically in the region of 4.5g per tonne. Our

volumes were 3 000 tonnes per month, at a cost of R107 000

per kg, which is quite reasonable considering the gold price.”

Juan and his team then realised there was more gold to be

had on the surface. They tested the Annan dump and results

were encouraging. “The illegal mining activity that was going

on also helped as they pointed us in the right direction,”

laughs Juan. “We took our big machinery in and concentrated

on the area around the shaft. In two months we mined 40kg

gold from material that ranged from 2g to 12g per tonne.”

The team is now mining 12 000 tonnes of material a

month and the plan is to increase volumes. Juan is also

busy working out where to mine when work on the Annan

dump fi nishes.

“The obvious place to try would be the Doornfontein

plant, but it is covered with rock that was dumped there

because of security concerns.” Juan is determined to fi nd a

way of cleaning up the plant so it can be mined and rehabilitated.

Listening to him, there is no doubt he will fi nd a way.

“I reckon there’s between 100 to 200kg of gold lying under

that rock,” he enthuses. “That’s not just a wild guess.

A metallurgical plant typically locks up 0.3 to 0.7% of the gold

treated during its operating lifespan.”

Work is also underway at 4 and 5 slimes dams where

240 000 tonnes of material is treated a month. At a yield of

0.24g per tonne, this contributes 62kg of gold to Blyvoor’s

monthly production. Samples drilled at 7 slimes dam have

indicated the grades there are uneconomical to treat at the

present time but grades at 3 slimes dam are an encouraging

0.62g per tonne. Mining this area will extend the life of the

slimes reclamation project by about four months.

The last stop on Juan’s whistle-stop tour was to the site

of the old calcine dams. These barren excavations have been

turned into a natural feature by pumping in excess water from

underground.

Named Owen’s Oasis after Blyvoor’s General Manager,

Owen O’Brien, a variety of fi sh have been introduced into the

dams and these are fattening up well. In time, this peaceful

spot will be a place to get away from the “bustle” of the mine

and the town. “The local community will be able to bird-

watch and catch fi sh,” says Juan. “What better way to spend an

afternoon than quietly contemplating nature and de-stressing.

Better still, the lucky ones will be able to take something home

for supper!”

GETTING TO GETTING TO GRIPS WITH GRIPS WITH OLD GOLDOLD GOLD

After – calcine dams – now named Owen’s Oasis

Diamond core drilling at the Leny claims

The rubble scrubber plant

Before – calcine dams

Work on the Annan dump

DRDGOLD in Zimbabwe

DRDGOLD and Chizim Investments are now 50/50 owners

in a company called Chizim Gold. Chizim has access to about

900ha situated about an hour north of Harare. The area

includes both the Leny claims and an area around Ascot mine,

both near the town of Norton. Chizim Gold also has an 80%

stake in a joint venture with Zimbabwean company, Pamgate

which has claim to a further 100ha in the Beatrix area.

At the Leny claims, four of fi ve holes drilled were

mineralised, the best showing 20g/t over 1m. Trenching has

exposed quartz veins that have been assayed at 25-33g/t. More

surveys at the Ascot claims are currently being done.

The workforce of 23 is living on site. A rubble scrubbing

plant – capable of processing fi ve tonnes an hour – has been

installed and commissioned to treat surface rubble. It may be

upgraded to treat the quartz material. This revenue will assist in

covering some of the exploration costs.

A new venture and a new partner north of the border



New life for Cheri lodge

A women’s structure committee

allocated rooms to applicants

according to certain criteria. Residents

began moving in to the 51 rooms

during November 2010 and each

occupant is allowed to have two

children living with her.

The residents have access to shared

bathrooms and a kitchen. The gardens

and public areas are looked after by

DRDGOLD, refuse is removed and

there is 24-hour security. Caretaker

Joyce Motsedisi makes sure everyone

follows the rules and reports problems.

A committee has also been elected

to deal with other problems that

might arise.

Doreen Ntllang, who comes from

Vryburg in North West province has

worked at Blyvoor for six years. She is

a general labourer at 5 shaft and was

living in Northdene Village before she

moved to Cheri Lodge with her sons

aged 9 and 15. She told Asikhulume:

“Ek is bly om hier te wees. Alles is nou

reg in my lewe.”

Ubomi obutsha be-Cheri LodgeIsakhiwo sabasebenzi abazihlalela

bodwa esiye saba dlakadlaka siguquliwe

sabayindawo yokuhlala abasetyhini.

I-DRDGOLD ichithe malunga ne R200

000 ekuvuseleleni ngokutsha esi sakhiwo,

kwaye ngoku abasetyhini abangama 80

kunye nabantwana abangama 32 bahlala

e-Cheri Lodge.Ikomiti yombutho wamanina inikezele

amagumbi, baze abahlali bangena kuwo ngo Novemba 2010. Umntu ngamnye angahlala nabantwana ababini.

Abahlali basebenzisa ikhitshi kunye namagumbi okuhlambela womntu wonke. I-DRDGOLD ijonga izitiya, ukususwa kwenkunkuma kunye nokhuseleko. Umlondolozi-ndawo, u-Joyce Motsedisi uqinisekisa ukuba wonke umntu ulandela imigaqo. Konyulwe ikomiti yokujongana neengxaki.

U-Doreen Ntllang, ophuma e- Vryburg kwiphondo lase Mntla Ntshona usebenze njengomsebenzi jikelele e 5 shaft iminyaka emithandathu. Wayehlala e- Northdene Village phambi kokuba afudukele e-Cheri Lodge noonyana bakhe abaneminyaka yobudala eli 9 neli 15. Uxelele i-Asikhulume wathi: “Ndonwabile apha. Yonke into ilungile.”

Cheri Lodge at Blyvoor is a happy place,

not least because out of the 80 women

living there, 32 are children – babies to

teenagers. The building, once single quarters,

was in a bad state when DRDGOLD decided

to turn it into a female residence. Almost

R200 000 was spent on renovations.

Charlene Naicker of Corporate Offi ce celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Indian community’s arrival in South Africa on 16 November 2010 by wearing a Punjabi-style outfi t to work. Charlene celebrated her fi rst anniversary with DRDGOLD in February. Doreen Ntllang (left) and caretaker Joyce Motsedisi at Cheri Lodge

Residents of Cheri Lodge in the garden


the people of drdgold issue 17 | march 2011 a ... · ryno credits colleague lynn gough, assistant...

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