coo’s message

East Manganese mine forms part of Menar’s diversification strategy to grow in line with the global megatrends of global decarbonisation, government-sponsored economic stimulus packages and electric vehicle demand. We are committed to realising South Africa’s full mining potential, by continuously seeking out new investment opportunities and East Manganese is a clear illustration of this continued commitment.

We are a nimble and flexible investor and manager of projects. We are also very prudent in the allocation of capital and prefer to plough back the return on our investments. This strategy has seen us grow from a single mine pit to an investor and operator of several mines and processing plants across three minerals: thermal coal, anthracite and manganese, in South Africa. We are committed to maintaining this growth trajectory. Our focus this year is to optimise our existing project portfolio, while also looking for potential investments in manganese, copper, chrome and iron-ore to take advantage of the global megatrends.

Three global megatrends are shaping our investment strategy and outlook because they have an impact on commodities. The megatrends are all unfolding simultaneously. The energy transition to decarbonised renewable energy sources is still in its infancy but is likely to affect the market structure of several mineral resources. Many resource analysts are predicting increased demand for steel which is critical for the manufacture of wind turbines and support systems for solar panels.

Our investment in East Manganese, in the Northern Cape, is just a start and we are looking at a few greenfield possibilities and acquisitions. Manganese is critical for the manufacture of steel and our investment in anthracite production is also key because it is a replacement for coke, which is critical in ferromanganese and ferrochrome alloys.

The establishment of the East Manganese mine has aided economic activities in the area and has created 80 direct new jobs on the mining complex. Sitatunga will also uplift the local community through our Social and Labour Plan (SLP), Local Economic Development (LED) and Enterprise Development (ED) projects, along with awarding bursaries, learnerships, internships to local community members.

Menar COO: Manganese

Kobus Rothmann