Ntsimbintle Mining, a B-BBEE company, was formed in 2004 to pursue exploration and mining opportunities emerging in the South African manganese sector and successfully applied for prospecting rights in 2004, in an area between Kathu and Hotazel, in the Northern Cape. These rights were held in Ntsimbintle’s subsidiary company, namely Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining (Pty) Limited.
Initial prospecting activities commenced in 2006. Eventually Pallinghurts Resources and OM Holdings acquired a stake in Tshipi. The Tshipi mining right application was approved in 2010 and after a 20-month construction and commissioning phase, Tshipi Borwa Mine railed and exported its first manganese ore.
Tshipi’s history, to date, is depicted in the following timeline
2004
In 2004, nine Black Economic Empowerment groups came together to form Ntsimbintle with the specific objective to secure manganese prospecting rights which became available when the “use it or lose it” principle was legislated under the MPRDA. Ntsimbintle, spearheaded by Saki Macozoma, managed to secure a number of prospecting rights adjacent to existing mines operated by major mining companies in the Northern Cape. Ntsimbintle was incorporated in 2004.
2007
In 2007, Ntsimbintle concluded a transaction with a consortium of investors, led by Brian Gilbertson, referred to as Pallinghurst Co-Investors. It is this transaction, in terms of which the Pallinghurst Co-Investors acquired a 49.9% interest in Ntsimbintle’s Tshipi Borwa and Tshipi Bokone prospecting rights, which gave birth to the company that is today called Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining Proprietary Limited (Tshipi). Subsequent to this transaction, the Pallinghurst Co-Investors executed a reverse take-over of ASX listed Jupiter Mines Limited by vending their interest in the Company into Jupiter Mines Limited in exchange for a controlling stake in Jupiter Mines Limited. Accordingly, 49.9% of the equity of the Company was then held by Jupiter.
2010
Ntsimbintle and OM Holdings, concluded a transaction in 2010 in terms of which OM Holdings acquired an effective indirect interest of approximately 13% in Tshipi. Ntsimbintle used the capital generated from the transaction to partly fund its part of the cost to develop the Company’s flagship Tshipi Borwa project.
Corporate actions which have culminated in Tshipi’s current shareholder structure has uniquely positioned Tshipi with a set of shareholders which possess a wealth of technical, commercial and marketing know-how in respect of the mining industry in general, and in respect of the manganese section of the mining industry in particular.
2011
On 4 February 2011 Tshipi’s Board of Directors approved the development of the Tshipi Borwa mine in the Kuruman district of the Northern Cape. The mine essentially comprises an open-pit mine, a primary and secondary crushing and screening plant, a private rail siding and a rapid load-out station. The entire operation has been designed and constructed to produce 3.6 Mt of manganese ore per annum.
During the process of the primary and secondary crushing and screening plant being constructed Tshipi functioned as a fully operational manganese ore mine, with a full-time staff complement of approximately 100 enthusiastic employees.
2012
The Company’s private rail siding was constructed in record time and has been in use since October 2012 – the loop siding is approximately 8km long and is currently the only siding in the manganese industry that can accommodate a 208-rail wagon train, which creates a significant logistical advantage for the Company. Tshipi’s rapid load-out station is capable of loading 6 552 tonne trains in less than 4 hours. Accordingly, Tshipi sees itself as a clear industry frontrunner in its utilisation of supply chain technology.
Tshipi exported its first 12 000 tonnes of manganese ore through the Port Elizabeth Bulk Terminal in December of 2012.
2016
The total manganese mineral resources of Tshipi Mine amounted to 418 million tonnes as at 31 December 2016, of which 61 million tonnes represent reserves.
2017
Tshipi exported a record 2.3 million tonnes of manganese in the 2017 financial year.
2018
Tshipi exported a record 3.34 million tonnes of manganese ore in the 2018 financial year, becoming the largest exporter of manganese ore from South Africa.
2019
Tshipi exported a new record of 3.5 million tonnes of manganese ore in the 2019 financial year, maintaining its position as the largest exporter of manganese ore from South Africa.The total manganese mineral resources of Tshipi Mine amounted to 432 million tonnes, of which 92 million tonnes represent reserves.