JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Tshipi é Ntle Manganese, led...

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Tshipi é Ntle Manganese, led by prominent South African business personality Saki Macozoma, mined its first manganese ore at its new Borwa mine in the Northern Cape last week.

The production of manganese ore on October 10 was several weeks earlier than planned.

Pallinghurst, which owns an interest in Tshipi through its stake in Jupiter Mines, said in a statement on Monday that the manganese would be transported by rail to Port Elizabeth.

“Tshipi is now close to producing its first revenue,” it added.

Pallinghurst CEO Arne Frandsen said first production was an important step in Tshipi’s progression up the value curve. “This is the first fruit of five years of hard work for Pallinghurst, and shareholder Ntsimbintle and its partners. Tshipi has been transformed from a greenfields project to a world-class manganese producer, which, for at least the next 60 years, is set to remain a vital supplier to the world’s steel producers,” he stated.

Tshipi é Ntle’s major shareholders are ASX-listed Jupiter Mines, which owns 49.9% and privately held black economic-empowerment company Ntsimbintle Mining, which owns 50.1%.