Two managers resign from Tati Nickel

RYDER GABATHUSE
Staff Writers | Friday July 4, 2008 00:00

 

The General Manager of Tati Nickel Peet Kotze heads back to his native South Africa to pursue other interests after a year at the helm of Tati. Kotze is a renowned metallurgist and mining engineer. He explained his reasons for exit: 'What happened is that I got an offer in South Africa to head the coal mining giant SA MHL, a coal mining company with interests in both Mpumalanga and Kwazulu Natal.' Kotze has been recruited as a director of SA MHL.

He emphasised that he was not being pushed out of his current job but was leaving of his own accord to pursue new challenges.

His impression about the Tati Nickel was that the mine has a promising future. 'The future of the Tati Nickel is very good. We are currently busy getting a new Dense Media Separation (DMS) plant into operation,' he explained. The DMS is a 12million tonne per annum plant, which selectively increases the head grade of run of mine material.

The DMS plant is expected to increase annual production at Tati from 14,500 to 22,000 tonnes of contained nickel in concentrate, reduce total cash operating costs and extend the life of mine by seven years to 2019.

In particular, the record of the mine shows that the Tati Nickel Mine has a sustainable, long-term future with a current life expectation that runs to 2019, ore reserves of 99 million tonnes, mineral resources of 98 million tonnes and a forecast annual nickel production of 22,000 tonnes of nickel in concentrate from 2009. Kotze also hailed the DMS plant to have opened new opportunities going forward. Since the Tati Nickel Mine is a stand-alone project, Kotze does not see the recent halting of the Activox Refinery Plant affecting its fortunes.

'The closing of the Activox has not impacted on the future of the mine and will not cause any worry at all.' Activox technology is a patented hydro-metallurgical process that recovers nickel and copper metal from sulphide concentrates.

While Kotze is happy about his new challenges, he trusts that current mine managers are sufficiently competent to carry on with the challenges of their jobs. 'I have a lot of confidence in the current management team and future of the mine is not in doubt,' said the 51-year-old mining expert.

Thuso Dikgaka resigned from Tati Nickel at the end of June after seven years. He had held the position of Mining Manager.

'I was not pushed out,' the 51-year-old Dikgaka said to Mmegi. 'It is only a matter of a change of scene. I never stay in one job for too long.'

The new challenge for Dikgaka is to start 'my own' operation. But in the meantime, 'I will be a part time consultant in mining and management'. A list of Dikgaka's previous jobs include Orapa/Letlhakane Debswana Mines, BCL Mine, Jwaneng Debswana Mine, Burrow Binnie consultants, the Botswana Football Association (BFA) and the Department of Mines.

'I will not at all be lost to the mining field. Whoever needs a pair of hands is free to call on me,' said the seasoned mining engineer.

Dikgaka has been in the field of mining since he graduated as a mining engineer in 1986.

After seven years at the Tati Nickel Mine, Dikgaka feels that he has grown with the job.

'Over and above the normal experience, I have gained some additional skill, especially in the area of industrial psychology,' he said.

Dikgaka will also be involved in part-time farming at his home village in Molepolole since his business will be based in Gaborone, only 50 kilometres away. He leaves the mine a fulfilled man during whose tenure at Tati Nickel Mine was able to push the agenda of social responsibility by helping the under-privileged. He cited the Mathematics and Science results improvement project as an example. Another area of social responsibility is the mobile health clinic that caters to areas such as Matsiloje in the neighbourhood of the mine.