17 Feb 2022

Premium Nickel Resources Botswana (PNR) has engaged in an extensive exploration programme to determine the amount of ore left at Selebi and Selebi North shafts.

Chief Executive Officer Mr Montwedi Mphathi informed head of delegation for European Union (EU) and SADC Mr Jan Sadek, Mmadinare Legislator Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi and

Selebi Phikwe leadership on Wednesday that the process was expected to take two years of drilling and another two years of construction before commencement of production.

“People are impatient and always asking when the mine will open but this will take some time. We want to do this properly and do it well. We do not want to put the shaft in the wrong place to avoid high mining costs as was the case with the old BCL mine,” he said.

However, he said for that to happen there was need to understand the size of ore at the two shafts, which he said explained the need for drilling programme to understand the size of the ore left in the ground.

PNR officially acquired the BCL mines after closing the asset purchase agreement transaction with the liquidator of BCL Limited.

Mr Mphathi noted that if what the company had identified could support the investment of a modern smelter that did not pollute, and had sulphur capture then PNR would build a smelter, looking at the environmentally friendly technology they would be bringing.

PNR, he said aimed to reduce carbon foot print by using renewable resources by building a solar field within the area.

“When the mine stops operating in future, the company wants to leave the town as a sustainable urban area that would be able to stand on its own,” he said.

Mr Mphathi said unlike BCL mine, PNR had no intention of owning housing units, the hospital and other facilities as it delayed the process of wealth accumulation.

He said the model where the mine owned everything was outdated, therefore, PNR would stick to its core business of mining not managing schools, hospitals and other facilities.

He said PNR was going to work with SPEDU and SEZA to bring sustainability to Selebi Phikwe town.

For his part Mr Sadek added commended PNR for adopting green technology throughout its processes of re-opening the mine.

He said though the closure of the mine was a thorn to the town residents, it was impressive to see a company like PNR striving to give hope to the people of Selebi Phikwe by bringing the mine back to life.

Mr Sadek said re-opening of the mine would contribute the country’s aspiration of diversifying the economy and uplifting the socio-economic status of the people of Selei Phikwe through employment creation and other business avenues.

Mr Molebatsi  said Mmadinare community had keen interest in the new BCL mine given that it served as source of employment for communities in the SPEDU region including Mmadinare.

He thanked Mr Mphathi and his team for engaging with the community and taking them on board about the development of the new mine.

Mr Molebatsi said carbon emissions impacted badly on the environment posing a hazard to people and animals’ lives and deprived people an opportunity to grow crops to feed their families.

“We are happy that the mining processes you are bringing will be different,” he said.

Selebi Phikwe Town Council Mayor Mr Lucas Modimana said PNR’s official takeover of the two mines brought hope to the people of Selebi Phikwe in terms of employment opportunities

He urged the community to establish companies that would trade with PNR particularly companies that would help rehabilitate the environment instead of looking up to PNR for employment.

He said the closure of the BCL in 2016 which led to thousands of job losses was a lesson to the people of this copper mining town to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket. ENDS