Name of the Project
Far West Gold Recoveries (FWGR) operation.

Location
Gauteng, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
DRDGOLD’s acquisition of Sibanye-Stillwater’s West Rand Tailings Retreatment Project assets was finalised on July 31, 2018. Following the successful implementation of the transaction between the two companies, Sibanye owned 38.05% of the issued share capital of DRDGOLD.

Under the terms of the transaction, entered into in November 2017, Sibanye agreed to exchange selected surface-gold processing assets and tailings storage facilities (TSFs) for shares in DRDGOLD.

Sibanye-Stillwater also had an option to subscribe for further shares in DRDGOLD within 24 months at a 10% discount. In January 2020, Sibanye exercised this option, obtaining a 50.1% controlling interest in DRDGOLD.

Project Description
FWGR is a surface gold-retreatment operation, which treats old slime dams in the West Rand goldfields. The operation is being rolled out in a phased approach.

Phase 1 included early-stage production, involving upgrading the Driefontein 2 plant (DP2) to process tailings from the Driefontein 5 dump at between 400 000 t and 600 000 t a month, and depositing the residue on the Driefontein 4 tailings dam, which was upgraded to a cyclone deposition dam to cater for the higher throughput.

Phase 2 is being implemented through DRDGOLD’s Vision 2028 programme and comprises the DP2 plant expansion, the RTSF and the pipeline project linking DP2, the RTSF and the Libanon dump.

In this phase, reclamation will initially be from the Driefontein 3, Libanon and Kloof 1 dumps, and then from the Ventersdorp North and South dumps. The scale of the infrastructure established during this phase will allow for the reclamation from other sources in the region. The objective is to clean up the regional landscape by reprocessing tailings that are currently on dolomite and redeposit the reclaimed material onto a properly designed and managed megadam, thereby reversing the potential pollution of underground water in the region.

The pipeline project comprises 135 km of slurry, residue and return-water lines linking DP2 to the RTSF and the 74.3-million-tonne Libanon dump. Once the Libanon reclamation station is operating, Libanon is expected to add 600 000 t a month to FWGR’s feed, alongside 600 000 t a month from Driefontein 3.

The 800 ha, fully lined RTSF is designed to receive an initial 1.2-million tonnes a month, with capacity to increase to 2.4-million tonnes a month and, ultimately, store up to 800-million tonnes of tailings.
Vision 2028 is expected to add 16 years to FWGR’s life-of-mine (LoM).

Potential Job Creation
Since its inception, FWGR has secured employment for more than 150 employees and is committed to its environmental, social and governance mandate, as well as social upliftment programmes, in the far West Rand area of operations. With the implementation of Phase 2 and the extended LoM, more opportunities are expected to result from DRDGOLD’s value creation activities.

Capital Expenditure
DRDGOLD invested R330-million of capital in Phase 1.

Vision 2028 capital allocated to FWGR comprises R1.9-billion for the DP2 expansion, R3.4-billion for the RTSF and R1.2-billion for the pipeline project. DRDGOLD has also committed R880-million to an Aztec up-flow reactor at FWGR.

Planned Start/End Date
Phase 1 commercial production started within eight months of the acquisition, on April 1, 2019, and made its maiden full 12-month contribution to DRDGOLD’s financial results in the 2020 financial year.

Phase 1 beneficial occupation of the RTSF is planned for the third quarter of the 2027 financial year, subject to regulatory approval, construction progress and dry weather.

DP2 is scheduled to reach stable throughput of 1.2-million tonnes a month by the first quarter of the 2028 financial year, following commissioning of the Libanon reclamation station. 

Latest Developments
Commissioning of the expanded DP2 plant is under way. The new elution circuit and smelt house were commissioned on July 14, 2026, and DP2 poured its first gold on the same day. The remainder of the plant is scheduled for commissioning by the end of the first quarter of the 2027 financial year, while throughput is maintained at 500 000 t a month during a major service of the existing plant.

The 135 km pipeline network is about 95% complete. Construction of the Libanon reclamation pumpstation, the final link in the system, can begin once the water-use licence has been received and is expected to take about nine months. Until Libanon starts up, FWGR throughput is expected to remain at 500 000 t a month.

RTSF construction was 67% complete on June 30, 2026, and was on track to reach deposition capacity of 1.2-million tonnes a month by the first quarter of the 2028 financial year. Phase 1 beneficial occupation will allow for commissioning to begin while construction of phases 2 and 3 continues; dry weather is required for the initial commissioning work.

DRDGOLD has committed R880-million to an Aztec up-flow reactor at FWGR, targeted for completion in the fourth quarter of the 2027 financial year.

Key contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
DRDGOLD, tel +27 11 470 2600.
Third Act Consulting, on behalf of DRDGOLD, email DRDGOLD_Communications@thirdactconsultants.com.