Bradley Hammond - COO of Menar & ZAC

Bradley Hammond - COO of Menar & ZAC

From the COO’s desk

Dear Colleagues, Contractors and Community members,

It is with great pleasure that I share with you another bumper edition Zikhiphani eZAC, I hope it provides you with some great insights into the many positive developments that are taking place at ZAC, and in and around the local communities.

As you will recall the first six months of 2019 were very productive with regards to social projects, community meetings and engagements, youth developments as well as procurement opportunities that focused on direct community empowerment. With regards to safety, our number one priority, ZAC has had a stable year with just five lost time injuries recorded year to date, which is a decline from the seven reported in the previous year. At ZAC we are dedicated to achieving the goal of Zero Harm and will continue to be so. I want to emphasise that safety and health remain the top priority at ZAC.

With regards to production output, ZAC is projecting to produce 749 711 tons in 2019, while forecast production for the year was 876 934 tons. Saleable production from the main wash plant and the discard plant combined is projected to be 664 420 tons, while the target for the year was 720 147 tons. There were a number of reasons why these targets were not met. These included community disruptions and Department of Mineral Resources and Energy related stoppages. However, the biggest factor for the second half of 2019 was geological conditions at both the Deep E and Ngwabe shafts that have slowed down production in a big way. ZAC has always faced challenging geological conditions with the latest obstacle being the large stones obstructing access to open new ground. These stones have not been easy to negotiate around, but by opening this new ground we have extended the life of both mining areas.

However, despite all the challenges we faced in 2019, ZAC has managed to reach new milestones. ZAC management together with the majority union, the National Union of Mineworkers recently finalised a three-year wage agreement. This shows how far the mine has come and the relationship that has been built between ZAC and the Union. Furthermore, by working together with the Umbilo Business Forum, we managed to award all coal haulage transport contracts at ZAC to the local communities, as part of our empowerment policy. These significant milestones have come to fruition owing to many hours of hard work and dogged determination by all parties to work in the best interests of all ZAC stakeholders.

We are very proud of the developments made with regards to our Social and Labour Plan (SLP) commitments year to date. ZAC has awarded 28 Bursaries, 32 Learnerships, 30 Internships as well as the 30 Youth Employment Service (YES) learners, who have been part of our team this year. All have shown tremendous potential and it has been a pleasure having them on site and watching them learn and grow.

With regards to our Local Economic Development (LED) projects, ZAC has changed the lives of many in the community by: building and refurbishing dams, providing water by means of sinking new boreholes, installing solar lights at strategic points identified by the Zululand District Municipality as well as building toilets for 20 homesteads around the community. Furthermore, through our fruitful and detailed engagements with the Department of Education it was agreed that ZAC would assist in the construction of toilet blocks at schools around the mine within the four traditional councils of Mlaba, Matheni, Mandlakazi and Zungu.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the continued support that you have given the mine to assist us to make ZAC a better place for all our employees, contractors and community members. A special thank you to the members of our Future Forum for your assistance and hard work this year to get ZAC closer to the community and its needs.

I am looking forward to the growth that we will all achieve together as this is extremely important for the future of the mine and the sustainability of the business. 2020 will host another year of challenges for us all to overcome. Teamwork, good communication and consistency will help us overcome these challenges and together we will keep pushing ZAC to new levels and goals.

Always remember to be safe at all times.

Umyalezo ka-COO

Balingani, Sonkontileka noMphakathi abathandekayo,

Kuyintokozo enkulu kimi ukuthi ngiphinde nginethulele unqambothi lolunye ushicilelo lweZikhiphani eZAC. Ngethemba ukuthi luzoninikeza olunye ulwazi olumqoka ngezinto ezinhle ezenzeka e-ZAC nasemphakathini, namaphethelo.

Njengoba nizokhumbula, izinyanga eziyisithupha zokuqala zika-2019 zithele izithelo ezinhle ngokwezinhlelo ezithinta umphakathi, imihlangano nezingxoxo nomphakathi, ukuthuthukisa intsha namathuba akhona okusebenzisana nokusebenza enkampanini okugxile ekuhlomuliseni umphakathi ngqo. Mayelana nezokuphepha, ezimqoka kithina, zihambe kahle izinto e-ZAC lapho sibe nabasebenzi abahlanu kuphela abalimale unyaka wonke, okwenze isibalo sehla sisuka kwabayisikhombisa ngonyaka odlule. E-ZAC sizimisele ukufinyelela ekutheni kungalimali noyedwa i-Zero Harm, kanti kuzoqhubeka kube njalo. Ngifisa ukugcizelela ukuthi ukuphepha nezempilo kubalulekile e-ZAC.

Ngokomthamo womkhiqizo sikhiqize amathani awu-749 711 ngo2019, nakuba besiphokophele emkhiqizweni ongamathani awu876 934. Umkhiqizo esikwaze ukuwudayisa ovela esihlambweni esikhulu novela embonini yomkhiqizo wamakhaf’lithi uhlangene, kulindelwe ube ngamathani awu-664 420, bese kuthi umgomo womkhiqizo wonyaka ube ngamathani awu-720 147. Ziningana izizathu zokuthi kungafinyeleleki emigomweni ebibekiwe. Kuyona singabala izibhelu emphakathini nokuma komsebenzi ngenxa yezizathu zomNyango wezokumBiwayo nowezaMandla. Kepha noma kunjalo, imbangela enkulu esigamwini sesibili sonyaka kube yizimo zezendawo emigodini i-Deep E neNgwabe okuwehlise kakhulu umkhiqizo. I-ZAC ihlale ibhekene nezinselelo ngokwesimo sezendawo njengoba isithiyo esisha kungamadwala amakhulu avimba ukuthi kufinyeleleke emhlabeni omusha. La madwala akubanga lula ukudlula kuwona kepha ngokuklama indlela entsha, sikwazile ukwandisa impilo yezindawo zezimayini zombili.

Nakuba kube nalezo zinselelo esibhekane nazo ngo-2019, i-ZAC ikwazile ukuzuza izinto ezintsha. Abaphathi be-ZAC benenyunyana enkulu, i-National Union of Mineworkers, basanda kusayina isivumelwano samaholo seminyaka emithathu. Loku kukhombisa ukuthi imayini isuka kude kanjani nohlobo lobudlelwano esibakhile nenyunyana. Ngaphezu kwaloko, ngokusebenzisana neMbilo Business Forum, sikwaze ukugixabeza imiphakathi yendawo umsebenzi wokuthutha amalahle ngokohlelo lokuhlomulisa abantu nokudala amathuba omsebenzi. Konke loku esikuzuzile kugcwaliseke ngenxa yamahora okuzikhandla nokuphokophela kwabo bonke abalingani ukufeza izinhloso zabo bonke abalingani be-ZAC.

Siyaziqhenya kakhulu ngokwenzekile ngokoHlelo lwezoMphakathi nezomSebenzi, phecelezi i-Social and Labour Plan (i-SLP) kuze kube manje. I-ZAC ikhiphe imifundazwe ewu-28, amathuba okufunda umsebenzi awu-32 namathuba okuqeqeshwa emsebenzini awu-30 kanye nabafundi abawu-30 be-Youth Employment Service, i-yes akade besebenza nathi kulo nyaka. Bonke bayathembisa kakhulu kanti bekumnandi ukusebenza nabo emayini, sibabone befunda futhi bekhula.

Ngokwemisebenzi yethu yohlelo lokuthuthukisa umnotho wendawo i-Local Economic Development (i-LED), i-ZAC isishintshe izimpilo zabaningi emphakathini ngokwakha nokuvuselela amadamu, ukuhlinzeka ngamanzi ngokwakha amapitsi amasha, ukufaka izibani ezisebenza ngamandla elanga ezindaweni eziklanywe wuMasipala waseKhaya waseZululand nokwakha izindlu ezincane zemizi ewu-20 emphakathini wonkana. Okunye, ngokwezingxoxo zethu ezithele izithelo nezinzulu nomNyango wezeMfundo, kuvunyelwane ngokuthi i-ZAC izosiza ngokwakha izindlu ezincane ezikoleni ezakhele imayini ezizweni zakwaMlaba, esakwaMatheni, esakwaMandlakazi nesakwaZungu.

Ngifisa ukuthatha leli thuba ukunibonga nonke ngokuhlale neseka imayini ukwenza i-ZAC ukuthi ibe yindawo engcono kubasebenzi, osonkotileka nomphakathi. Sibonga ngokukhethekile amalungu e-Future Forum ngosizo lwawo nomsebenzi wokuzikhandla kulo nyaka ukusondeza i-ZAC emphakathini nezidingo zawo.

Ngikubheke ngamehlo abomvu ukusimama kwethu sonke njengoba kuyinto ebaluleke kakhulu ngekusasa lemayini nokusimama komsebenzi. U-2020 uzoba ngomunye unyaka wezinselelo zokuthi sizinqobe sonke. Ukusebenza ngokubambisana, ukuxhumana okuhle nokushaya ngonyawo olulodwa kuzosisiza sinqobe izinselelo kanti sonke sizobeka i-ZAC esicongweni,ithuthuke iyephambili.

Nikhumbule ukuphepha ngezikhathi zonke.