Underground mining resumes at Springlake

AfriOre (AFO-T) has resumed underground production at the Springlake anthracite mine, north of Dundee in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, after recovering the remains of a load-haul-dump machine operator killed by a rock fall in late September.

Mining resumed after an inspector of the Department of Minerals and Energy approved the company’s updated safety and operational audit of underground mining operations.

During the shutdown, AfriOre increased production in the open-pit portion in an attempt to offset the impact of the temporary suspension. The company has revised its mine plan so as to compensate for lost production.

The rock fall was not the first accident at the mine; in the second quarter of 2001, in the same section, a roof partially closed.

Meanwhile, AfriOre has begun a 3-hole, 6,200-metre drill program on the nearby FSC project. The holes are testing for gold-bearing Witwatersrand stratigraphic units at depths of between 1,200 and 1,500 metres.

Earlier this summer, Toronto-based Hawk Precious Minerals (HAWK-O) inked a deal to earn up to a half-interest in FSC by spending US$3.5 million.