Few 100% black-owned drilling companies exist in South Africa, bolstering one of the most pervasive criticisms of South Africa’s failing transformation efforts. Some critics believe that BBBEE, in its current form, will not help to create more jobs in the mining space.
Kgolagano Matshego, affectionately known as Khuli, is an entrepreneur in the mining space. He is the managing director of Sedibelo Kgabo Mining (SKM), a production drilling company he founded with his brother Tshiamo. His company is a 100% black-owned mining services company, with its roots in Lesetlheng, North West Province, South Africa. Lesetlheng is one of the many villages home to the Bakgatla Ba Kgafela, a tribe with a population of over 350 000 people living in 32 villages in the Moses Kotane Local Municipality.
SKM took delivery of three additional Sandvik DI650i drill rigs in July, doubling its capacity and positioning it to become the dominant production drilling operator at mid-tier producer Pilanesberg Platinum Mines (PPM)’s East Pit operation. The company has created 96 new jobs and is in the process of creating more jobs. SKM has prioritised training and development for all employees, particularly women. TransformSA touched base with Khuli to learn more about his company. Here is our conversation:
Can you please give us a background about your company?
Our company was founded in 2021. Luckily, we were one of two contractors awarded a production drilling contract at Pilanesberg Platinum Mines (PPM), situated 207km west of Pilanesberg in the Bushveld Complex.
We started with equipment from Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions. They were quite receptive to how we put things together. Sandvik financed our first three rigs and the IDC financed a further three machines. We currently have a fleet of six rigs.
Please tell us a bit about the Bakgatla Ba Kgafela clan.
The Bakgatla Ba Kgafela have lived in this area since the 1800s when Kgosi Pilane settled his people at Mmasobudule on the Elands River. As the owner of the land on which several mines are located, the Bakgatla Ba Kgalefa is mainly involved in the mining sector as an equity partner and holds an equity interest in our company.
Lesetlheng is one of the many villages home to the Bakgatla Ba Kgafela (BBK), a tribe with a population of over 350 000 people living in 32 villages in the Moses Kotane Local Municipality.
Health and safety in mining are usually one of the biggest challenges. Have you encountered this problem?
The health and safety of our employees are the first thing on my mind every morning. It’s one of our deepest values at SKM, and we see it as my ‘brother or sister’s keeper’. We hold safety briefings daily and have checklists for all equipment. Nobody starts a machine until everyone is 100% sure all safety protocols have been observed.
I always stress to our people that we’re responsible for our safety and that of the people around us. I am happy to say that from the start of operations to today, we have not had a single safety incident or injury to any of our employees. We have been operating for over 365 days without a single injury! Every day our employees go home to their families safe and sound.
Please take us through the process of drilling in the simplest form.
Production drilling, in the simplest sense, is drilling lots of holes into the ground to be mined, like Swiss cheese. The holes have to be equally spaced apart and be the same depth. For instance, five metres apart, each should be drilled to 15 metres depth for the blasting guys to load with the same amount of explosives later.
Our client marks out the hole locations in the pit, and our operators’ tram (drive) the Sandvik drill rigs to each drill point. Each drill rig operator is highly-trained and assisted by an assistant who visually checks the rig is in the right location.
The rig has a hammer, rotational action chews the rock, and blows the rock fragments to the surface. The machine has tilt metres and a depth counter, so operators can ensure they’re drilling vertically and stop at the right depth. Once complete, each hole is marked and covered, and the machine is trammed to the next spot. We drill several hundred such holes each day, so it’s quite repetitive.
The things that have to be considered before you drill are:
- Safety checks should be done regularly, and people should be clear of the rig;
- The machine operating parameters, fuel, hydraulic pressure, engine, and compressor should be within the required ranges; and
- The location should be correct as per the plan from the client.
Do you think sustainable and efficient mining seems near impossible?
Sustainable and efficient mining is not only possible, it is in fact, essential. We’re mining on our land, and our children will inherit whatever legacy we leave. The limits we have is that resources are finite and will eventually be mined out. Still, we must mine responsibly, taking due care, rehabilitating as we go, and ensuring all our people benefit, not just a few shareholders.
