Improving water resilience in southern Africa

Our southern African operations are in water-stressed regions. Implats’ water stewardship efforts focus on maximising water recycling/re-use at operations and reducing freshwater withdrawals to increase resilience against water scarcity at each operation and the surrounding communities.

Responsible water stewardship is a strategic priority. Our water stewardship framework consists of six pillars, which are aligned with global frameworks and provide guidance on managing water-related risks and associated capital allocation decisions.

In most parts of southern Africa, El Niño events are associated with prolonged dry spells, reduced rainfall and increased temperatures. These conditions often lead to droughts, water shortages and crop failures, posing significant challenges to health, agriculture and food security and worsen existing water shortages and socioeconomic vulnerabilities.

El Niño events – and the increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather conditions brought about by climate change – foretell future water-related risks for our operations and our host communities who are reliant on rain-fed agriculture. As such, each of our operations has fit-for-context plans in place to build resilience, including social performance initiatives, to help communities access water and improve their food security.

Water project roadmap to 2030

Several projects are being implemented to achieve our 2030 goals and mitigate water-related risks.

At Impala Rustenburg, a stormwater catchment dam will be built to improved stormwater storage and ensure greater resilience to extreme weather events, such as floods and drought. In addition, to mitigate water supply disruptions and water quality deterioration, Impala Rustenburg has committed to installing two potable water reservoirs. Phase 1 was completed in August 2023 and commissioned in March 2024 at a cost of R130 million, and involved constructing a reservoir, pump station and water treatment plant, which provides potable water buffer capacity to the operation’s northern shafts and minerals processing facility. Phase 2 of the project will see the construction of a second reservoir, pump station and water treatment plant, which will offer similar buffer capacity for the operation’s southern shafts, once completed.

Impala Bafokeng will upgrade the Maseve pump station to improve reticulation and water-use efficiency. Meanwhile, Impala Refineries has committed to an effluent treatment plant and a nickel wash water optimisation project to improve water recycling and re-use capacity and reduce freshwater intake, while the installation of flow metering on the tailings thickener will improve water accounting at the operation.

Zimplats is implementing process improvement initiatives to reduce freshwater consumption at its mining and mineral processing activities. In FY2024, it achieved a 35% reduction in freshwater consumption at the Selous Metallurgical Complex (SMC) concentrator plant after it commissioned its new mills lubrication system cooling towers. Recycling and re-using treated sewage effluent to suppress dust, water lawns and flower gardens is being actively promoted at both the mining and processing divisions. The volume of treated effluent recycled increased by 60% year-on-year. A Turf and SMC sewage recycling study will be initiated to further improve the security of water supply and reduce freshwater intake. In addition, in the first quarter of 2024, the 3.3km extension of the water pipeline from Chitsuwa Dam to the Ngezi Weir was commissioned, which will prevent unauthorised abstraction and evaporative losses along the Ngezi River tributary.

Zimplats is also an active participant in the two catchment councils within which the operations are located. Water conservation awareness sessions are conducted regularly and employees are encouraged to carry water-saving principles and initiatives to their respective homes and communities.