Phakisa Gold Mine

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Phakisa mine, located in the Free State, will mine the Basal Reef to a depth of some 2 400 metres and have a monthly capacity of 83 000 tonnes once the project has been completed. Phakisa came into production in FY08. The Nyala shaft, 5.5 kilometres away, is used to hoist rock and is available as a second escape route. Ore mined at Phakisa is processed at Harmony 1 Plant, some 20 kilometres away.

Harmony initially acquired Phakisa as part of the Freegold acquisition from AngloGold Ashanti Limited in January 2002. In September 2003, Harmony acquired these operations in their entirety.

The mine employed 3 034 people in FY10 – 2 858 employees and 176 contractors. This is planned to increase to around 3 181 people in FY11.

At the end of June 2010, Phakisa reported mineral reserves of 5.159 million ounces of gold and mineral resources of 23.112 million ounces. Potential upside from the exploitation of high grade pillars and at the Nyala shaft is being investigated.

Reference for information:
www.harmony.co.za/b/ops_sa_phakisa.asp