Initially installed in April 1997, the mine produced 896,458t, including development tonnage, equating to 2,409t/man/month, and earning the mine’s workforce a 150% bonus. Shortwall productivity measured 9,032t per man per month.
Matla, located 150km east of Johannesburg, is owned by Eyesizwe Mining, South Africa’s first major black empowerment coal company. The complex produces 12-15 million tonnes per annum of thermal coal, from two shortwalls and 7 bord and pillar sections.
The record tonnage was produced from a face only 130m wide. Face advance was 917m for the month and average height mined was 3.82 m.
The roof supports, AFC, rollercurve and BSL are all DBT supplied. The shearer is a Joy 6LS5 machine, which is seven years old and has mined 26 million tonnes since its installation in April 1997. The 3.8m to 4m seam is at a depth of 65m which means that every tonne of the hard steam coal must be cut since the shallow cover produces little face weighting.
