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| THE THREE LARGE INDUSTRIES |
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| We have three large industries in the town of Phalaborwa and we will pass through two of them on the way to the Shona Longa Resort on the banks of the Olifants River and they are: |
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| PALABORA MINING COMPANY - established in 1963 and forms part of the worldwide Rio Tinto Group. The major minerals mined are copper, phosphate, magnetite and vermiculite. |
| The Open Pit at Palabora Mining Company is the widest man-made hole in Africa and is almost 2km in diameter and approximately 898m deep. Phalaborwa lies 405m above sea level and the bottom of the pit is 400m below sea level. In April 2002 mining ceased in the Open Pit and the life of the mine was extended by another 20 years with the new underground mine which uses some of the most sophisticated underground mining equipment. Palabora supplies all of South Africa’s copper and approximately 50% of the world’s vermiculite. The mine creates employment for close to about 1,800 employees and 1,600 contractors. The mine established a large foundation for corporate social investment work in communities surrounding Phalaborwa and this has made a significant improvement to the quality of life of local communities. |
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VIEW MORE INFORMATION |
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FOSKOR - a wholly owned subsidiary of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) was established in Phalaborwa in 1951 with the aim of rendering phosphate rock independence to the South African fertiliser industry and has since grown into a successful commercial enterprise. The Phosphate Rock & Copper division as well as the Zirconia Business Unit are situated in Phalaborwa in the Limpopo Province, and together with the Phosphoric acid and Fertiliser division situated in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, comprise the two operating entities within the Foskor Group. The Phalaborwa Complex, within which Foskor Phalaborwa 39 is situated, is a geological intrusion caused by sub-volcanic activity approximately 2,000 million years ago. The Complex is unique as it is host to many valuable minerals, the most relevant of which are phosphate, copper, zirconium, iron and vermiculite. The presence of apatite was first described in 1906 and an unsuccessful attempt at mining phosphate ensued. In 1940, however, the eminent geologist, Dr. Hans Merensky, started mining vermiculite in Phalaborwa and proved the phosphate reserves to be truly vast in extent although low in grade by world standards.
Archaeological evidence and carbon isotope dating indicate that primitive mining and smelting of copper took place at Phalaborwa some 1,000 years ago, followed by the smelting of iron ore 700 years later. At that time the Ba-Malatji metal-working tribe, on discovering iron and copper 150 kilometres north of Bushbuckridge where they had settled, moved to this site and named it 'Phalaborwa', which means 'better than the south'. Here they established a primitive smelting and metal-working industry, some of the remains of which have been preserved and are on display at the Foskor Museum in Phalaborwa. |
| The phosphate ore reserves at Phalaborwa is approximately 2,5 billion tons of ore. This is 5% of the proven world phosphate rock reserves. |
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| Company Statistics / Demographics / History: |
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Founded 1951 |
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Activity: Phalaborwa - Mining & Beneficiation facility - Produce Phosphate rock, Copper concentrate, - Fused Zirconia and Magnetite |
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Principal Suppliers - Sulphur: Canada & Middle East - Ammonia: Sasol and Imports |
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Customer Base - Phosphate rock: Domestic with limited exports - Phosphoric Acid: Exports with limited domestic sales |
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SASOL NITRO - Sasol Nitro Phalaborwa, originally known as Bosveld Kunsmis, was commissioned in 1964 under the controlling body of Federale Volksbeleggings. Although still affectionately known as 'Bosveld' by the town's pioneers, the name 'Fedmis' was ascribed through various takeovers of other fertiliser operations (e.g. Windmeul Kunsmis and Fisions in Sasolburg), the Company eventually changing its name from Bosveld Kunsmis to Feral Kunsmis (hence Fedmis). The name Fedmis has remained ever since and through the Sentrachem takeover in 1981, the term Fedmis Phalaborwa was created, along with other divisions, namely Fedmis Milnerton (Cape) and Fedmis Sasolburg ( Free State). With the AECI Ltd / Sasol Ltd takeover in 1988, the name Fedmis Phalaborwa, was retained due to its international (i.e. exports) and local business trading.
In 2001, the company was taken over entirely by Sasol Ltd. |
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Prior to 1964, a concerted effort was underway to make South Africa independent of imported phosphates and with the vast quantity and quality of phosphate rock available within the Phalaborwa area Sasol Nitro (then Bosveld) was established (alongside Foskor) to begin processing phosphate rock into a product called phosphoric acid. In 1972, a cement plant was commissioned to produce cement, the basic raw material being gypsum, a waste product from the manufacturing of phosphoric acid; however, due to economic and other related factors, cement production ceased in 1987. Other products produced by Sasol Nitro over the years included:
Phosphoric Acid : chiefly used in the manufacture of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium (NPK) fertilisers.
Mono-calcium & Mono-ammonia phosphates : chiefly used as a supplementary diet in animal feeds.
Sulphuric Acid : for own consumption in the manufacturing of phosphoric acids.
Sasol Nitro Phalaborwa is engaged in the production of water soluble chemical phosphates destined for the agricultural sector of local (primary) and overseas markets. The major products are 54% merchant grade phosphoric acid and defluorinated acid. The type of operations could be described as being in the heavy chemical process industry. Sasol Nitro Phalaborwa, situated on the farm 'Wegsteek', is located in the north-eastern section of the Limpopo Province, bordering the Kruger National Park.
Sasol Nitro today is a major contributor to agricultural based factories that produce various fertiliser grades and animal feeds. Other end usages are as ingredients in detergents (soap) and as ingredients in foodstuffs (e.g. Coca-Cola).
These three companies have established a Community Environmental Forum which meets on a quarterly basis to report back to communities on their environmental performance and give communities the opportunity to raise any concerns that they may have. |
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