Mining Rights

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The renewal application of The Mining/Surface Right No. MPT 69/2007 with expiry date 21 June 2017 has been submitted to the Department of Mineral Resources of South Africa, and its approval is pending on the submission of Environmental Liabilities Review and Financial Guarantee.

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Mine Plans

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The Frank Smith Mine was originally mined from surface by open pit methods and later became an underground mine. Historically, an underground mining system known as chambering was used, which is a combination of shrinkage stoping and caving, in which one level chamber was developed beneath the pillar of the level above, therefore ensuring that the pillar would cave and be drawn out on the successive level.

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The Frank Smith previously comprised of a two shaft system which included a: 3m circular 'Main Shaft' from surface to 170m level, a sub-vertical shaft from the 135m level to the 270m level, and a secondary access shaft to the underground workings from the surface was via a decline equipped with a travelling way. 

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The proposed mine process flow is illustrated below for the full-scale ~30,000tpm process plant at Frank Smith, which includes a high throughput primary jaw crusher, scrubber, a +1.5mm to -20mm screen split, secondary crusher for oversize material, with a first stage, second stage pan and sand pan sequence. Final liberation will be conducted by sequential flow sort, glove boxes and grease tables. The proposed setup is aimed at provisionally concentrating both larger and smaller diamonds as well as including a tertiary crusher step to liberate diamonds from material which did not report to the concentrate stream. 

 

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