JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed gold developer West Wits Mining has signed an agreement that will allow for the start of the Sol Plaatjies project within the Soweto Cluster prospecting right area, in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

The objective of the Sol Plaatjies project, which was conceived and advanced in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the land owner and the Department of Mineral Resources, was to remove and process a section of some 1 500 m of Kimberley Reef outcrop adjacent to the village of Sol Plaatjies on the northern fringe of Soweto.

The presence of the reef had, in the past, attracted activity from illegal miners, which, in turn, led to significant social challenges in the area.

The extraction of the reef outcrop would be undertaken through an opencut operation to remove ore to a depth of about 30 m for transport to a processing plant in the area. Following extraction of the reef, the land would be progressively rehabilitated to enable the land owner to start development of an affordable housing project, which would incorporate open park land over the mined out areas.

“This agreement demonstrates the growing spirit of cooperation between the company, local land owners and the government agencies to address local issues while achieving their respective operational goals,” West Wits chairperson Michael Quinert said in a company statement released on Friday.

He added that West Wits was confident that Sol Plaatjies would provide a pilot project model for several further similar opportunities across the Soweto Cluster area where Witwatersrand reef were still in situ.

The agreement was concluded following an extensive trenching and sampling programme undertaken in conjunction with mining contractors and processors.

The results of those exploration activities were being collated and would be released in due course. The finalisation and consideration of the exploration results would provide the necessary data to enable the company to finalise the project plan of works and collateral agreements with relevant third-party contractors.

The contractors would undertake the extraction and rehabilitation works, as well as the processing of reef material.