Vedanta Zinc International has resumed operations at its Gamsberg mine in South Africa. The company had temporarily shut down operations in November followed by a pit wall collapse which trapped 10 miners underground.
The company told Davis Index that their team has successfully completed the construction of the access ramp up to the failed mass material, as per design of phase 1 of the rescue mission. Phase 2 of the rescue mission is the mining of the failed mass which started on the 11th of January 2021. The company’s primary focus is the search and rescue of its missing employee.
The Gamsberg team had submitted the progress of the South, West and East pit to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE).The DMRE has granted Gamsberg a partial upliftment to the section 54 to allow stockpile feed and mining to continue at both the West and East pit, under strict safety precautions.
The DMRE has indicated the various conditions to which the mine has to adhere to ensure the safety of team working in the mining areas. No ore mining production occurred in December, with a gradual ramp-up expected in January, stated the company in response to Davis Index queries.
Gamsberg was set to produce 250,000mt of zinc in concentrate annually, at full capacity.