Abstract
M.Tech. (Extraction Metallurgy)
There are possibilities to re-open old closed gold mines in South Africa, many of which are forgotten and vandalized, but still have the potential (Mineral Resources) to yield reasonable financial returns for the next 10 years and present the investor and government a viable way to establish a legal underground small-scale mining industry. The value-added is not only for the investor and state, but the re-opening of these closed mines could also benefit the surrounding communities that were established around these mines years ago.
The issue of closed gold mines is important, because it represents many former mining sites that continue to pose a real hazard to the general local population, and in many cases this is considered a negative legacy to the South African mining industry. Many closed South African mines are sites where production has ceased without rehabilitation having been implemented or completed. In the mid to late 20th century mining companies held little concern for the environment and no thought on how mining activities might adversely affect the environment and surroundings ecosystems. It was common practice for mining companies to abandon/close a mine or shaft when mineral extraction was found to be uneconomical without any conducting any or little rehabilitation.
Post 1994, legislation around rehabilitation requires mine owners to provide guarantees to the state to fund proper rehabilitation, which requires mines to be rehabilitated to near as possible the natural state of the environment prior to the opening of the mine. Although, these closure provisions are adequate for newer mines, there are still many mines where either rehabilitation provision were not made or are inadequate - thus mine closure is still a problem facinSouth Africa.
The daunting rehabilitation and mine closure funding requirements can negatively influence potential investors, both local and international, in the investment in small-scale mining in South Africa. Furthermore, obtaining relevant information, e.g. geology, grade, mineral resources, infrastructure, governmental, environmental and social conditions are real and serious challenges for investors and potential investors. Extensive research/exploration is required as no or limited information on these old mines is available, and mineral resource models must be re-created and conducted in accordance with the guidelines of international reporting codes such as the South African Code for the Reporting Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (The SAMREC Code)...