Polish mining and industrial group Bumech is taking control of the Maranda deposit in South Africa, a project that contains not only zinc, copper and silver, but also strategic metals such as indium and gold. The mine’s total resources are estimated at between 6 million and 8 million tonnes of ore, of which only around 10% of the deposit’s potential has been exploited so far.
Bumech S.A. announced that its subsidiary, SIST KAPITAL PTY LTD, has signed an agreement to acquire a controlling stake, giving it the ability to independently decide on the future direction of the mine’s development. The transaction is valued at around USD 3 million and is being carried out in the form of a joint venture. At the same time, the company has committed to investment spending of approximately USD 6 million between 2026 and 2028 to modernize the operation and increase production capacity.
The Maranda deposit was thoroughly explored and documented as early as 1978, while mining operations began in 1989 under the management of Metorex. Since 2009, however, the mine has operated only on a limited basis. Recalculated ore resources at Maranda are estimated at between 6 million and 8 million tonnes, with historical average metal grades of 23% zinc, 3.9% copper, 0.03% indium and 0.003% silver. At present, the mine is capable of extracting and processing up to 180,000 tonnes of ore annually. Bumech’s plans assume a gradual expansion of activity, ultimately increasing processing capacity to as much as 800,000 tonnes of ore per year.
A second area owned by MMC is the Burgersdorp field, which holds a permit for surface gold extraction down to a depth of 150 metres. This deposit is characterized by gold grades in the range of 2.1–3.9 g/t. Bumech plans to carry out more detailed studies in this area and launch mining operations there in the near future.
Bumech enters African mineral deposits
The transaction has been designed as a phased process, covering the acquisition of assets, the reorganization of the ownership structure, and preparations for further scaling of both mining and processing activity. The cooperation model takes into account local regulatory conditions, as well as the need to ensure effective operational management and continued development investment.
One of those local regulations is the B-BBEE principle, or Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, which defines the framework for involving local partners in business ventures. The company also plans to conduct a full resource inventory in line with the international JORC standard, which is used for mineral deposit reporting and provides a transparent basis for valuation.
What makes the investment attractive is not only the scale of the resources, but above all their structure and metal content. For example, copper contained in the ore is valued at USD 12,200 per tonne, zinc at USD 3,000–3,400 per tonne, silver at USD 75–90 per ounce, and indium at USD 580–720 per kilogram.
The mine once belonged to Metorex, a South African mining company focused on the conventional extraction of base metals, without recovering indium. Today, in a different market and technological environment, these resources represent significant development potential for the project.
Existing infrastructure and large-scale resources
As explained by Bumech CEO Jonasz Drabek, the project’s greatest advantage is that the Maranda mine already has existing infrastructure, including a shaft, underground workings and a beneficiation plant. He noted that Maranda is an underground mine, with mining to date carried out on only 10% of the concession area, at depths ranging from 100 to 330 metres below ground. Another advantage is its location near the Palabora Mining Company complex, which is expected to provide access to smelting infrastructure, logistics facilities and skilled labour.
“The mine infrastructure is not the newest, but that is precisely why we were able to convince the current owners that we are a European company with experience and access to technologies that can help modernize the ore beneficiation plant and apply the latest geological survey methods,” he added.
“We are entering an existing mining organism — with a shaft, an ore beneficiation plant and an interesting gold-bearing deposit that still requires further geological studies. It is a major potential whose significance for the modern economy and advanced technologies is only now being fully recognized. At the same time, we are continuing to develop our domestic and international projects, building a balanced portfolio in strategic raw materials and energy sectors,” the CEO emphasized.
A response to the world’s growing needs
The metals present in the Maranda project appear on the European Union’s lists of strategic raw materials required by industry, including the defense sector, and their importance is increasing alongside the expansion of electromobility, renewable energy and modern technologies. Europe remains heavily dependent on imports of many raw materials from outside the continent, which is increasing pressure to stabilize and diversify sources of supply.
“We want the investment in South Africa to become one of the company’s key assets, confirming its mining expertise while reducing the role of coal in our portfolio,” added CEO Jonasz Drabek.
