Cementation Africa has begun a major upgrade of the Mindola shaft at Mopani Copper Mines’ Nkana operation in Kitwe, Zambia, in a move aimed at extending mine life and improving production efficiency.
The project centres on equipping the existing deep shaft with permanent infrastructure, including a new headgear, advanced winding systems and associated underground works.
According to industry reports, the upgrade is expected to support deeper mining and higher-volume copper production at one of Zambia’s largest and oldest operations.
The scope of work includes construction and installation of a permanent headgear, rope-up and commissioning of new winders, as well as the installation of an overland conveyor system.
These upgrades will enable detailed 3D scanning of the shaft to assess alignment and determine structural reinforcement requirements for safe hoisting operations.
Cementation Africa’s Zambia in-country executive, Ben Adendorff, highlighted the importance of the scanning process, stating: “To determine the exact degree of misalignment, Cementation Africa will complete a 3D scan of the complete shaft.”
He added that the current work programme involves replacing temporary infrastructure with permanent systems.
“Our current work at Mindola includes the removal of the sinking headgear and winders, and the installation of a new permanent headgear, after which we can rope-up and commission the new winders,” he said.
The project will also see the completion of the remaining 500 m of the shaft, which will be sliped and lined to ensure precise vertical alignment and safe conveyance movement. Once this is complete, the shaft will be fully equipped, including construction of loading box steelwork at the bottom.)
Cementation Africa says the upgrade builds on its extensive experience in shaft sinking and mine development across southern Africa, where challenging ground conditions and deep-level operations require specialised engineering solutions.
“Many of our projects are conducted in environments where there are poor ground conditions we can apply innovative solutions,” said engineering services executive Hercilus Harmse.
Safety remains a key priority in the project as the company reports achieving over eight million fatality-free shifts over the past decade, reflecting its emphasis on redundancy systems and risk management. “We develop and apply duplicate systems so there is always a backup,” noted new business director Graham Chamberlain.
The Mindola shaft upgrade is seen as a strategic investment in Zambia’s Copperbelt, where operators are increasingly focusing on modernising existing infrastructure rather than developing new greenfield projects. By improving shaft efficiency and reliability, Mopani aims to unlock deeper ore bodies and sustain output at Nkana, which has been in operation since 1932.
With global copper demand rising, driven by the energy transition, projects such as the Mindola shaft modernisation are expected to play a critical role in maintaining Zambia’s position as a leading copper producer while extending the operational life of legacy mines.