JSE-listed platinum group metal (PGM) miner Wesizwe Platinum is set to ramp up production at its Bakubung mine in South Africa in the first quarter of 2025 after the underground critical infrastructure is completed.
It, however, said the concentrator ramp-up will commence in the fourth quarter of 2025 “as soon as the plant rectification plan is completed.”
Wesizwe said the underground mining ramp-up is expected to reach about 83,000 tonnes of PGM-bearing per month by the fourth quarter of 2025.
The mine, it said, had already about 500 000 tonnes of incidental ore stockpile from the on-reef development activities.
Wesizwe said the team at Bakubung, which is 45%-owned by China Africa Jinchuan, developed the critical infrastructure to open up the ore body and facilitate future stoping activities.
The current underground activities include the development, construction, and equipping of permanent infrastructure such as ore passes, silos, workshops, and permanent water and power services, amongst others, to support future stoping activities.
The company’s anchor project is projected to produce 420 000 ounces of PGMs per year.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief, Rough&Polished
