PRIVATELY-owned resources investment company, Menar, said it had been granted a mining right and water use licence for its R250m East Manganese project, a development that paved the way for first production.
Menar’s investment is held through Sitatunga Resources which bought East Manganese, located in the Northern Cape province in South Africa, in 2018.
“East Manganese is part of our group’s planned R7bn investments,” said Vuslat Bayoglu, MD of Menar. “Speedy regulatory approvals are critical to unlock the investment spend and to contribute to South Africa’s economic revival.”
East Manganese holds approximately a one million tons run of mine (RoM) ore resource, and will produce approximately 30,000 tons a month of manganese ore. Due to the conical shape of the proposed pit, it will take approximately seven to eight months to reach first ore, after which steady state production will be achieved swiftly, the company said.
Said Bayoglu of Menar’s broader strategy: “We are committed to realising South Africa’s full mining potential, by continuously seeking out new investment opportunities and East Manganese is a clear illustration of this continued commitment”.
Manganese is used mostly in steel manufacturing and other industrial applications as well, including dry-cell batteries.
“We like the macro supply and demand fundamentals of manganese,” said Bayoglu. South Africa holds about 75% of the world’s manganese resources.
“The establishment of the East Manganese Mine will aid economic activities in the area and create between 70 to 80 direct new jobs on the mining complex, once peak production has been reached,” said Bayoglu.
