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Notice is hereby given that the SANIRE Annual General Meeting of members will be held by Virtual Platform (Microsoft Teams Live ) on Friday, 27 August 2021 at 11h00
Kindly forward your confirmation of attendance by return mail to Mbalenhle Buthelezi at mbalenhleb@mpas.org.za by 23 August 2021 to confirm attendance.
Upon RSVP of attendance, a link to the meeting will be forwarded to register for attendance via a meeting request.
Kindly access the following link to download the agenda: SANIRE AGM Announcement & Agenda
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance.
1. Welcome by the President
2. Apologies
3. Matters arising from previous minutes
4. AGM Presentation
4.1 Presidential Note, Porfolios and Constution Review
4.2 Administration
4.3 Treasury
4.4 Branches Feedback
4.5 Membership and Young Members
4.6 Education
4.7 ISRM Feedback
4.8 Social Media and Newsletter
4.9 Organisational Liaison
4.10 Events and Sponsorship
4.11 SANIRE Awards
5. General
6. Questions
RSVP BEFORE 23 AUGUST 2021
Mbalenhle Buthelezi
tel: (+27) 11 568 2054
email: mbalenhleb@mpas.org.za
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Dear SANIRE Member,
Kindly contribute any articles towards the SANIRE September Newsletter due for publication.
Please forward a neatly formatted word document to
Thovhedzo.Gcuda@Seritiza.com
or info@sanire.co.za by the 27th August 2021.
Please see attached posters:
- Call for papers -Open invitation for articles
- Rock Star – Nominations
- Advertisement – Availability Newsletter
We look forward to receiving your contributions and nomination for the next Rock Talk Issue
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The RockBowl 2021 team winners from Petra Diamonds.
Top left: Phumza Banjwa
Top right: Prince Mlenga
Bottom left: Olwethu Swakamisa
Bottom right: Yolanda Chambati
The first ever SANIRE virtual RockBowl 2021 was held on Thursday, 5 August 2021 as part of the SANIRE symposium proceedings. There were 7 groups competing against each other and Team Schists from Petra Diamonds won the competition after three rounds of rock engineering related questions. It was great fun and we are hoping for an even better attendance in next year’s RockBowl 2022. Thank you to all the teams who participated!
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The SANIRE Coalfields Branch Committee would like to extend an invitation to all its members for the Branch meeting which will be held via Microsoft Teams on
Friday 20 August 2021 at 11:00 - 13:00.
TIME: 11h00-13h00
MICROSOFT TEAMS ONLINE
A link to the event will be sent to each member via a meeting request.
We are also calling for presentations.
Please send your presentations to Melusi Shongwe on melusi.shongwe@sibanyestillwater.com by the 15th of August 2021.
The agenda will be shared closer to the day.
RSVP Before 18 August 2021
Melusi Shongwe
e: melusi.shongwe@sibanyestillwater.com
For more information
W: www.sanire.co.za
f: @SANIREofficial
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Forensic rock mechanics for the analysis of rockbursts and seismicity in mines – Session 2
This two-lecture series is mainly aimed at SA rock mechanics practitioners, but it may be of general interest.
I wish to partly share my particular experience and interests – some of it may be useful
DOWNLOADS:
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Good day SANIRE members,
Please note that the Strata Control and Rock Engineering Practical examinations for the second half of 2021 are now open.
Registration for the Strata Control Practical will close on the 31st August 2021. Examinations are planned to be hosted during September and October 2021 for the Strata Control Practical.
Registration for the Rock Engineering Practical will close on the 4th October 2021. Examinations are planned to be hosted early November 2021 for the Rock Engineering Practical.
Please register for the practical examinations via the SANIRE website and ensure that you submit the required documents accordingly within the required timeframe.
Please note that Rofhiwa Phadagi and Kevin Le Bron will now be responsible for the Strata Control Practical and Rock Engineering Practical Examinations on behalf of SANIRE Council, respectively. I would like to welcome both members to SANIRE Council and wish them success in their Education roles.
In terms of the theory examinations, please ensure that you register via the COMCERT website (www.comcert.co.za). Please note that registration closes on the 31st August 2021. Theory exam dates are as follows:
| Examination | Date of Examination |
| Strata Control Coal | 5th October 2021 |
| Strata Control Met | 5th October 2021 |
| RMC Paper 1 | 5th October 2021 |
| RMC Paper 2 | 6th October 2021 |
| RMC Paper 3.1 | 7th October 2021 |
| RMC Paper 3.2 | 7th October 2021 |
| RMC Paper 3.3 | 7th October 2021 |
| RMC Paper 3.4 | 7th October 2021 |
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It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of another member of our small rock engineering community. Shaun Murphy passed away on the 28th July 2021 in Johannesburg. His career in the mining industry spanned over 40 years, including 10 years in production and 30 years specialised in the field of rock engineering. During the last eight years, Shaun has provided consulting services through SRK Consulting, based on his extensive experience. Prior to that Shaun held various senior positions in rock engineering, including the Vice-President (Geotechnical) of AngloGold Ashanti, South Africa from 2010 to 2013; Principal Rock Engineer and Manager Design and Research (in collaboration with the Institute of Mine Seismology) from 2005-2010; Rock Engineering Manager -TauTona (1995-2005). Shaun had a deep understanding of the theoretical aspects of rock engineering, while always having his feet firmly on the (under)ground. The challenges of deep mining and rockbursts were his forte and he made major contributions to the safe operation of deep-level long-walls in highly seismic conditions. Shaun actively shared his knowledge, mainly through mentoring and coaching, but also engaged on an academic level. He published 13 papers and received the Salamon award from SANIRE for a paper on the contribution of backfill to the mitigation of rockbursts.
Shaun comes from a mining family – both grandfathers were miners, and his maternal grandfather came from the Welsh coal mines. He was born in Springs but grew up in Stilfontein and Klerksdorp where his father was a mechanical foreman for Gencor. Shaun entered the mining profession as a Learner Official starting at Vaal Reefs and finishing the program at Western Deep Levels. He continued in production till 1988 when he moved over to Rock Engineering. His younger brother Bruce, followed in his footsteps choosing Rock Engineering as a career and is currently consulting with SRK Consulting in Vancouver, Canada.
Shaun and his wife Louise had two children, Roxanne (married to David) and Shane (married to Nisha), both shunned the mining world to become medical doctors. Shaun played an active role in their lives taking part in the PTA while they were at school and recently travelling to Australia to meet his new granddaughter, Rebekah, in May 2019.
Shaun was a strong swimmer, participating at both a provincial and national level. In later years he enjoyed exploring the natural world in his Jeep. Our thoughts are with his family.
Photo’s courtesy of Gerrie van Aswegen
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In the midst of the third wave of COVID - 19 which has decimated the way we do things, not only worldwide but in South Africa, especially within SANIRE, I will as President be writing my last Presidents Corner.
This Presidents Corner will be a reflection of my term as SANIRE President, a strange term it was indeed. I was very fortunate to follow on from two great SANIRE Presidents, allowing me to continue to take the SANIRE to new levels from a brand perspective as well as forward into the future. Numerous changes to the way the association was managed and maintained has come over the past few years.
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It is with sadness, regret and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Navin Singh on the 12th July 2021 in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa. Navin was working at Anglo American, Kumba Iron Ore Head Office as the Head of Technology Development. He was in charge of the development and implementation of new technologies for technical services, projects and operations that will support new ways of mining and processing as part of the Anglo American FutureSmart programme.
He will be remembered for his passion and contribution to advancing mining rock engineering research and technologies through research management, research publications, technology implementation, corporate management as well as business improvement. Navin held a Masters degree in Mining Engineering and a Rock Engineering Certificate. He was a Fellow of both SANIRE and the SAIMM. His 25 years of rock engineering experience ranged from operational, technical support, research and development and strategic executive management across the mining and mineral value chain.
Before joining Kumba Iron Ore, Navin has worked for several organisations including Head of African Operations Ramjack Technology Solutions, Co-Director Mandela Mining Precinct, Mining Manager CSIR Mining Research and Development, Chief Executive Officer Mine Health and Safety Council, Technology Manager Gold Fields Ltd, Senior Geotechnical Engineer WMC Olympic Dam Operations in Australia and Chief Rock Engineer South Deep.
Our thoughts are with his family.
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Prof Malan delivered his Inaugural Address on 29 June 2021 at the University of Pretoria in the Department of Mining Engineering.
Topic: Rock Engineering research as a prerequisite for sustainability and growth in the mining sector.
Contents: Economic growth and technological advances result in a rising demand for metals. As a consequence, surface resources are being depleted, and the depth of mining is gradually increasing. At great depths, flat dipping tabular excavations present unique rock engineering challenges. This is typically encountered in many South African mines. There is limited knowledge on the rock mass behaviour at these depths, which affects the sustainability of the mining sector. Even shallow tabular mines are prone to instabilities. The requirement is to design and develop stable excavations in an anisotropic, inhomogeneous and extensively fractured rock mass. This lecture discusses recent advances in the rock engineering field to address these challenges. Methods to simulate the fracture zone in pillars and stope faces were developed. These techniques enable engineers to simulate the effect of pillar scaling, different mining rates and mining increment lengths. The models also accommodate energy dissipation computations, and the released energy can be used as a measure of seismic activity. This addresses a number of the weaknesses in the traditional usage of energy release rate as a criterion for layout design. Of further interest is the design of rockburst support. New methods to improve the areal characteristics of the support systems are discussed in the lecture. Prof Malan is currently working on developing commodity-specific pillar design formulae to increase the profitability of these mining operations.
(5.7MB PDF)
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Date: 5 August 2021,
Venue: Microsoft Teams Live
Time: 14h00 – 16h00,
Closing Date for Entries: 23 July 2021
What is Rock Bowl?
A game of questions & answers in which teams are challenged to answer technical & non-technical questions about rock engineering.
DO NOT MISS OUT!
A This year the ROCKBOWL will take place in an online format. This is a great opportunity for you and your team to showcase and test your knowledge against the best and brightest in the field of rock engineering. Register your team today and stand a chance to become the 2021 SANIRE ROCKBOWL champions.
T’s & C’s
- Maximum 4 participants per team
Who should attend?
- Anyone interested in rock engineering looking to brush up their social skills….Only Joking!
- All ages welcome
What’s up for grabs?
- Bragging rights
- A host of fantastic prizes
How to enter?
Complete the entry form with your team name as well as names and ages of each participant.
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SANIRE Symposium 2021
05 - 06 AUGUST 2021
MICROSOFT TEAMS LIVE
R850 - SINGLE BOOKING
R5 000 - MINES
R2 000 - EXHIBITORS
The South African National Institute of Rock Engineering Symposium is a forum for Rock Engineering Practitioners to showcase their technical abilities and skills to the industry over a period of two days. Participants and Presenters network, share ideas, knowledge and practices, whilst learning more about the most recent innovations, trends, experiences and concerns in Rock Engineering. In an effort to respond to ideas coming from SANIRE members the 2021 Symposium will feature an opportunity for expanded participation in the programme through presentations. The aim of the Symposium is to broaden participation and learning by opening an opportunity for innovative and challenging material that would not otherwise be available in other formats. The Symposium will be held from the 5th to 6th of August 2021 via Microsoft Teams Live. Interested practitioners, researchers, managers and others in the field of Rock Engineering can create meaningful dialogues by sharing their knowledge through presentations during the Symposium.
Call for Abstracts for Presentations
The South African National Institute of Rock Engineering Symposium is a forum for Rock Engineering Practitioners to showcase their technical abilities and skills to the industry over a period of two days. Participants and Presenters network, share ideas, knowledge and practices, whilst learning more about the most recent innovations, trends, experiences and concerns in Rock Engineering. In an effort to respond to ideas coming from SANIRE members the Virtual 2021 Symposium will feature an opportunity for expanded participation in the programme through presentations. The aim of the Symposium is to broaden participation and learning by opening an opportunity for innovative and challenging material that would not otherwise be available in other formats. The Symposium will be held from 5th August to 6th August 2021 Microsoft Teams Live. Interested practitioners, researchers, managers and others in the field of Rock Engineering can create meaningful dialogues by sharing their knowledge through presentations during the Symposium
The theme for the SANIRE Symposium 2021 is:
BOOM…… the new chapter of South African mining
SANIRE appreciates all submissions on Rock Engineering, with particular emphasis on:
• Research and Development
• Innovation
• Rock Engineering Techniques
Key Dates
Submission Deadline: 16 July 2021
Notification of Acceptance: 23 July 2021
Each presentation abstract will be reviewed by at least three members of the SANIRE Council and reviewed based on a range of parameters. Presentations will be competitively evaluated using:
• Technical soundness
• Innovation in topic and approach
• Creative and compelling content
• Effective use of case studies and literature
• NOTE: Presentations that are not Rock Engineering related or are sales pitches for products or services will not be considered, unless otherwise agreed to by SANIRE Council as a sponsorship package.
Submissions can be made to Mbalenhle mbalenhleb@mpas.org.za
On behalf of the SANIRE President and Council, we look forward to receiving your abstracts
Sincerely
Lizelle Prinsloo
Call for event sponsorship
Dear Sir / Madam
The South African National Institute of Rock Engineering Symposium is a forum for Rock Engineering Practitioners to showcase their technical abilities and skills to the industry over a period of two days. Participants and Presenters network, share ideas, knowledge and practices, whilst learning more about the most recent innovations, trends, experiences and concerns in Rock Engineering. In an effort to respond to ideas coming from SANIRE members the 2021 Symposium will feature an opportunity for expanded participation in the programme through presentations. The aim of the Symposium is to broaden participation and learning by opening an opportunity for innovative and challenging material that would not otherwise be available in other formats. The Symposium will be held from 5th August to 6th August 2021 Microsoft Teams Live. Interested practitioners, researchers, managers and others in the field of Rock Engineering can create meaningful dialogues by sharing their knowledge through presentations during the Symposium.
I am writing this letter to invite you to be a Co-Sponsor and or support this event. As a leader in the industry, your involvement with us in the SANIRE Symposium is an opportunity for your organization to receive exposure and to join other individuals, organisations, and coalitions in our association to educate Rock Engineers on current topical issues within the industry. The theme for the SANIRE Symposium is BOOM…… the new chapter of South African mining
The purpose of this event is to broaden participation and learning by opening the opportunity for innovative and challenging material that would not otherwise be available in other formats. Community sponsors are the primary source of funding for this event and will help ensure its success. Beyond your sponsorship, we welcome you to join us by participating in the SANIRE Symposium 2021.
We look forward to hearing from you.
For more information about the event, please contact: Mbalenhle Buthelezi
On behalf of the SANIRE President and Council, we thank you for your support.
Sincerely
Lizelle Prinsloo
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It is with sadness, regret and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dr John Vincent James on the 6th July 2021 in Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa. John has been a stalwart of the rock engineering fraternity and mining industry for 45 years. John was a Fellow of both SANIRE and the SAIMM. He will be remembered for his knowledge of most things worldly, his passion for rock engineering and notably his ability to mould young engineers into respected professionals. His legacy will live on in those that he mentored. John played a pivotal role in the compilation of the syllabi of the Rock Mechanics Certificates, as they stand today. He held positions as Managing Director of Celtis Geotechnical, Group Rock Engineering Consultant for JCI, Manager Rock Engineering for DRD and in his early days various positions at Rodio, SRK and Anglo American. Our thoughts are with his wife Lindy and three daughters Phillipa, Kate and Abigail.
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Over the past 8 years Nin was appointed as the Unit Manager Seismology at South Deep where he functioned as the operational Seismic Specialist. Nin contributed significantly to investigate and understand seismic mechanisms associated with the seismic triggers contributing to the various sources of events experienced on the mine. Nin’s career at Goldfields stretched over a period of 26 years across most of the Kloof and Driefontein operations. He had vast experience, yet he always welcomed open-minded discussions to improve the interpretation and mechanisms associated with seismicity. He was very passionate about his job and field of expertise. Nin was a true, gentle and sincere person who always made time for the people around him and continued to mentor his fellow colleagues. Nin was only 52 years old when he passed, but his impact in many of our lives will greatly be missed.
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Forensic rock mechanics for the analysis of rockbursts and seismicity in mines – Session I
This two-lecture series is mainly aimed at SA rock mechanics practitioners, but it may be of general interest. I wish to
partly share my particular experience and interests – some of it may even be useful
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Lizelle Prinsloo is the incoming President of SANIRE. She is currently the Chief Rock Engineer at Amandelbult and celebrates her 10th year at the operation.
She started her career in 2005 at Anglo American Platinum, Union Mine after graduating in 2004 with a BSc Hons degree at the University of Pretoria.
She obtained her Chamber of Mines Strata Control and Rock Engineering qualifications, followed by her Advanced Rock Engineering Certificate in 2008 during her time at Union Mine.
She gained some international experience by working abroad in Ireland at a massive mine and then returned in 2010 to the Bathopele bord and pillar mine in Rustenburg.
“I am very excited and look forward to the opportunity to serve and support the members of SANIRE”.
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It will take place on MICROSOFT TEAMS
Wednesday 7 July 2021 13:00 – 14:00 - Session 1
Wednesday 21 July 2021 13:00 – 14:00 -Session 2.
HAVE YOU CONFIRMED YOUR ATTENDANCE?
Please RSVP attendance with Mbalenhle Buthelezi (mbalenhleb@mpas.org.za), by Monday 5 July 2021.
DOWNLOAD THE FLYER (PDF 320KB)
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Dear SANIRE Member,
On behalf of the Association President and Vice President , we would like to welcome and ccongratulate the newly elected SANIRE Council (2021 – 2023).
The members elected to the SANIRE Council are:
1. Sifiso Mashile - Northam Platinum
2. Adam Cooper - Ivanplats
3. Thovhedzo Gcuda - Seriti Power
4. Zwelinzima Thebethe - University of the Witwatersrand
5. Obakeng Rakumakoe - Harmony Gold Mining
6. Rofhiwa Phadagi - Exxaro Resources
7. Kevin Le Bron - MLB Consulting
Download the SANIRE: Council Nomination – Result Verification (PDF 700KB)
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Dear SANIRE Member
Please see herewith nominations for voting…
Voting for Council: 2021 and 2022
- This is a request for you to vote for Council for 2021/2022.
Voting Process
- Any member in good standing may be voted in writing.
- A limited of 5 votes a member can be submitted.
- A brief CV and photo of the individual are required for election purposes.
Note:
- Any person nominated for Council are required to be a member in good standing of the Institute and understand that this commitment will require time away from their normal duties for the next two years.
- This should be conveyed to his / her employer and the proposer in signing the nomination form undertaking to ensure that the nominee is aware of this.
The nominations are to be completed by following the link below by 14 May 2021.
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Rocktalk Newsletter Volume 7 Issue1 April 2021
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
As we tackle 2021, following a devastatingly difficult year, the challenges that lie ahead are exciting yet daunting. 2021 not only brings hope, prospects and new opportunities, but also new challenges, which if not addressed timeously could result in missed opportunities.
The mining sector worldwide has entered a “supercycle” which could last between three to seven years, according to economists worldwide. The supercycle will be extremely beneficial to the South African mining industry, considering the fact that the exchange rate works in our favour. This could boost the recovery and possible growth of South Africa’s bruised and scarred economy, following poor government decisions and the crippling effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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