Situated on the north-western limb of the Bushveld Complex, the Dishaba and Tumela mines form part of the Amandelbult complex in addition to the concentrators and chromite recovery plants. All operations are owned and operated by Anglo American Platinum/Amplats (now Valterra Platinum).
The primary mining method used at both mines is scattered breast mining, preceded by haulage development below the reef, parallel to strike. Extra low profile mechanised mining is used to provide a continuous feed of ore to the conveyor belt system.
Dishaba Mine, a large open pit mine located 40km south of Thabazimbi and 15km north of the town of Northam in South Africa’s Limpopo province, produces platinum group metals (PGM). Infrastructure on the mine consists of one vertical shaft, one raise bore and four decline shafts. The mine produces around 160 000oz of platinum per year.