During his days as COO of New Denmark Colliery, Lonmin CEO Ben Magara recalls how former Anglo Coal CEO Tony Redman instructed him to do what it took to save New Denmark from closure in the 2000s.
He succeeded in putting the mine on a positive new trajectory and, by the time he left New Denmark, employment at the colliery had doubled.
“I’m in that mode again and I love it,” says Magara of his additional COO role, following the resignation of Ben Moolman.
The New Denmark experience has left a deep impression: “That’s why my whole makeup is still about turning troubled mines around,” he says of deliberately taking on the COO role to lead and support his GMs to make sure that Lonmin delivers what it promised in the recapitalisation programme.
All are working to his key rules of safety, relationships, production and costs.
“If you can deliver on safety and relationships, you’ll get the production and your unit costs will come down,” he says.
He was speaking to Mining Weekly in an interview that began bang on 07:00 as scheduled on a day that Magara left home at 04:15 and went to gym from 05:00 to 06:00.
He smiled broadly as he confessed his passion for getting dirty with the guys at the rockface and optimising performance underground, where he talks safety, production and bonuses.
“Once they know that it’s about safety and their targets, you’re sorted, and we need to get to that again,” he says, while pointing to the need for an elevated attendance record above the current 90% level.
A source of encouragement to him is that production is turning nicely upwards, buoyed by encouraging new cooperation between his company, the once-hostile Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) and the principal inspectorate of the Department of Mineral Resources.
He is delighted that this production uplift is forcing down unit costs.
Esta historia es de la edición Mining Weekly 7 April 2017 de Mining Weekly.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición Mining Weekly 7 April 2017 de Mining Weekly.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Supply Cliff?
Commodities supply shortfall looming following years of underinvestment
Strikes Threaten Coal Sector
If an agreement cannot be reached on the future structure and form of wage nego­tiations in the coal sector, unions have threatened to strike, says Solidarity mining industry deputy general secretary Connie Prinsloo.
Continued Focus On Downstream Development
Continued Focus On Downstream Development
Unrelenting Scourge
Mining fatalities in South Africa rise for first time in decade
Plea For Open Discussion
Diamonds body calls for ‘productive dialogue’ on Kimberley Process reform
Deep Potential
Stillwater deal seen positioning Sibanye as globally competitive mining champion.
Explosive Advantage
Explosives reloading system helping Gold One to reduce mining costs.
Critical Juncture
South Africa’s mining sector at a crossroads, collaborative effort required.
Consulting Engineering's Viability Proportional to Mining's Growth
The consulting engineer-ing industry’s sustain-ability and growth are largely dependent on and proportional to the mining industry’s sustainability and growth respectively, says industry body Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa).
Greater Emphasis On Ensuring Sustainability
Engineering expertise can be used to generate socio-economic gains for mining companies, particularly in jurisdictions that are dependent on the finite business of mineral extraction, states global engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Aurecon, an adviser to the African mining sector.
