Marie Goes Mining

Leah works for Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) and kindly organized a tour of the mine for me last week.

Knowing little to nothing about mining, I was keen to see one up close. South Africa's mining industry is crucial to its economy, making it a tour I couldn't possibly turn down if I wanted to continue on my journey of learning all I can about this country while I am here.

RBM was founded in 1976 to mine the mineral-rich sand dunes that line 17kms of the coast of Richards Bay.

RBM mines only the second dune, as it causes the least environmental disturbance 

The primary products that are exported are titanium, iron, rutile (used in ceramic and as pigment for paint), and zircon. 1.9 million tonnes of minerals are shipped overseas every year.

The most interesting thing of all is the company's dune restoration initiatives.

After sifting through a huge dune (mountain, really) of sand, shipping its contents to the factory to be processed, the company then puts it all back. They rebuild the sand dune truck load by truck load.

Not only that, but their environmental team reconstructs the dune to look as it did when they began mining it. From its height to its curvatures -- all is put back exactly as it was found.

And then, once it is rebuilt, its blanket of trees are replanted BY HAND. Whew! It is amazing work.

Rows of hand-planted trees on the reconstructed dune 

Jim, my trusty tour guide, drove me to a section of land where one side of the road had been mined and the other side was untouched. You honestly could not tell the difference. I was told that the environmental team sourced and replanted over 10 different types of grasses in one area. It was pretty amazing to see the level of effort RMB puts in to do their work eco-consciously.

The company also works along the community, helping to build schools and make them shareholders. Yes, it may just be for good PR, but it still was nice to see that the company functioned in other ways other than pure profit.

The coolest part of the day was heading down to dunes where the mining takes place. RBM has four operations and I was taken to Pond C.

You go from driving on paved highway, to bumpy back roads, to a huge sand pit where massive walls of caramel sand surround you.

The facility that separates the minerals FLOATS on water! See the buoys?

 

I felt very small. And also like I was on Mars.

I have to thank Leah for arranging my visit and Jim for being a superb, knowledgeable tour guide (oh yes, and for the glass of wine at the golf course afterwards!) :)