NEIL Bezuidenhout and his accomplished team, Barnard (Bennie) Swartz, Mathibelle Ramatisa, Moluoane Kheta and Theunis Badenhorst, have recorded nine years of accident-free service at a gold mine in the Free State.
Rand-Air entered into a long-term rental contract with the gold mine in 2012. Millwrights Bennie and Theunis and operators Mathibelle and Moluoane and who have all been based at Rand-Air’s Welkom Depot for over ten years, were joined by Neil eight years ago when he was appointed as Service Supervisor. The team is responsible for the service, maintenance and repair of twenty-two GA 75 and GA 160 rental electric air compressors at the mine.
The GA 75s and GA 160s remain permanently underground and are used to power pneumatic rock drills. The longest operating rental compressor has not seen the surface in ten years and the latest machine was installed by Rand-Air in 2019. Neil explains that these machines are an integral part of the mine process and are used mainly for projects such as life-of-mine extensions.
The GA 315 compressors are stationed above ground where Neil and his team work hand-in-hand with other contractors, assisting them with external projects, supplying air for building crushers, drilling holes for belt construction, etc.
This safety milestone is certainly no small feat and can be attributed to a dedicated, committed and highly-trained team who is always ready to service and repair hire air compressors, working under extreme pressure in rigorous underground conditions, while paying close attention to safety. It takes a considerable length of time to reach the air compressors which are stationed between 1 700 and 2 000m underground. So, in addition to carrying a 1.5kg rescue pack and a 15kg tool bag, each team member also takes enough food, water and energy drinks to last for an entire shift.
Team Welkom is also responsible for servicing rental air compressors on three other Free State gold mines, a long-term rental diesel machine used for the mining of gas as well as machines used in agricultural processing applications in Kroonstad. “All machines require servicing to ensure reliable performance and prolonged uptime but even the best machines break down from time to time,” says Neil. “This is when service plays a key role and it is my firm belief that we retain the business because of the team’s consistently excellent service delivery which contributes to the mine’s sustainability.”
On 27 September 2022 Rand-Air awarded Neil, Theunis, Bennie, Moluoane and Mathibelle a certificate in appreciation and acknowledgement of this deserving team’s outstanding safety record.
