The development of an effective method of mining upper ores, which have in the past been excluded from stoping plans, has increased the resource base of the Bimha and Mupani platinum group metals (PGMs) mines in Zimbabwe, Impala Platinum (Implats) CEO Nico Muller has disclosed. In response to Mining Weekly Online at last week’s media roundtable, Muller said Zimplats had previously only targeted ore inclines of under nine degrees, leaving steep ores unmined. But now it was including the upper ores angled at up to 14 degrees as part of its stoping areas.
