Isaac Mabonda
Operations Manager/ Head Exploration Geologist
Pretoria,GP
Summary
Isaac is a Professional Scientist registered with the council of Geoscience (Pr. Sci. Nat), wellseasoned mining, production, and exploration geologist with a proven 10+ year record of accomplishment in the Bushveld complex in South Africa and Offshore Geology ophiolites in Madagascar. He has led a technical Geology department for more than 8 years. Trained and supervised the junior geologists and drilling team in the exploration environment for different projects in Africa.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
9
9
Languages
Work History
Operations Manager
Mzansi Exploration, Drilling and Mining Pty Ltd
10.2023 - Current
- Management of all the exploration projects at Sasol for ventilation shaft, exploration, and production drilling
- Appointed as a project manager for Carbon capture project pilot project for CGS in Leandra, Mpumalanga
- Responsible for RC and Diamond Drilling, infill and test holes database management and control
- Budget management and leadership role, meeting preparations, spearhead the project projections and management of the project
- Project planning and execution of the project in Hotazel Northern cape for Mzansi Holdings
- Responsible for capex management on inventory of all the items needed for the project as well as the timing and delivery of stock
- Ensuring compliance to standards, policy, and procedures e.g
- Core and final depth blocks management, survey and chips samples, rehabilitation of borehole areas - advisory authority.
Exploration Geologist
IMERYS Refractory Minerals Pty Ltd
03.2023 - 09.2023
- Responsible for RC and Diamond Drilling, infill and test holes database management and control (Zero backlog) management of the contractor
- Weekly update of the test holes and RC grade control model, infill drilling
- Directly involved with logging of drill holes, sample collections and following up on drilling rigs to ensure efficiency in drilling campaign and update of Drill logs lithology; - Assays; - QA/QC as planned
- Collection of pit geological data, record, interpret and communicate to mining team to form part of the technical mining decision and way forward
- Exploration, Database and Budget management
- Implementation and management control of systems to ensure execution of LOM schedule
- Participation in geological discussions around the drilling results and providing interpretation based on the results throughout the drilling campaign
- Performing regular VFL and inspections on exploration equipment to ensure all safety devices are within company's safety standards
- Responsible for capex management on inventory of all the items needed for the project as well as the timing and delivery of stock
- Planning of boreholes, drilling and advising on when to stop the hole
- Verifying that geological descriptions correspond with analytical results.
Senior exploration Geologist
Thriveni Earthmovers Pty Ltd - Madagascar
06.2022 - 12.2022
- Planning the exploration project, time management and achieving of goals
- Responsible for managing all core shed operations and ensure their maintenance to required standards
- Heading the MRM department, managing the contractor on all the exploration activities
- Maintaining and updating core shed database information: drill-hole information, sample information, optimize, implement and sustain data management standards
- Conducted pre-shift inspections and signing off declarations
- Participated in safety meetings and assigned responsibilities to the crew
- Training of junior geologists and performing VFL on all drilling equipment
- Leading the discussions for the site crew to communicate on all progress of the drilling project.
Subordinate Mine Manager 2.6.1 appointment
Limberg Mining Pty Ltd - South Africa
01.2020 - 05.2022
- Manage the operation safety, production, implementation of safety standards including housekeeping under the mine manager
- Supervising the survey, mining, planning, environmental, safety, production teams and making sure they comply with the MHSA regulations
- Drafting and implementation of the SOP's, PTO's based on the risks that are associated with different tasks
- Management of the team to reach the targets set for the day, week, month and year
- Conducting safety awareness during the festive season, keeping the team motivated and maintain safety standards
- Daily crusher feed ore grade variation control and management
- Feed plan report approval and communication all mining personnel
- Resource and reserve management as an MRM head for the operation.
MRM/ Senior Mine/ Production Geologist
Cronimet Chrome Mining SA Pty Ltd - South Africa
01.2017 - 12.2019
- Heading the MRM team (survey, planning, geotechnical, geology, mining)
- Ensuring management and optimization of the ore body and how to mine it
- Grade Control Model and Reconciliation to align the model and any deviations
- Providing technical assistance in terms of geotechnical, rock stability and ROM management throughout the value chain from mining pits to the plant, liaising with the process plant management (metallurgy) on ore availability and grade changes and mining crew
- Maximizing high-grade recoveries whilst minimizing dilution and ensuring all possible care taken to define, estimate grade and extract orebody
- Planning work roaster for junior geologists, spotters, and samplers
- Mentoring, coaching, training, and supervising the junior geologist, spotters / in minimizing ore dilution and ore loss
- Management of grade control activities including RC and / or blast hole drilling
- Providing geological reports and data to senior management as required for easy technical decision making
- Planning meetings with the engineers, surveyors, mine crew, supervisors
- Handling monthly stockpile reconciliation between modelled and mined production vs milled production-inventory levels maintenance
- Carrying out stockpiles management controls ensuring the correct grades on designated stockpiles and carrying out blending procedure
- Pit delineation of ore and waste pit mining, leading, controlling, and scheduling the ore digging operation of blast blocks and ore mining excavation for tonnage and grade control; and overall reconciliation to ensure proper reporting of mine's resource and reserves.
Junior Mine/ Production Geologist
Cronimet Chrome Mining SA Pty Ltd - South Africa
01.2014 - 12.2016
- Responsibilities were mapping, drilling, core logging, and data capturing, and trenching, dip and strike measuring and recording
- Grab and bulk sampling of different stockpiles and monitoring as well as evaluating the laboratory results communicating to the senior management, sampling done daily
- Practicing safe work environment, conducting risk assessments, hazard identification and reporting any unsafe highwall
- Conducted geostatistical analysis for different batches of grades in conjunction with borehole analysis and grade distribution
- Conducting inspections on key areas in the mine and plant areas as well as supervising load and hauling
- Management of stockpile in terms of grade stockpiling on different bays
- Ore-type pit contact marking between different reefs
- Trenching on the reef to establish the outcrop and contact zones
- Responsible for stockpile management and labelling of stockpiles
- Geotechnical management on different rock types, fall of ground and support.
Education
Bsc Honors Geology and Mathematics -
University of Johannesburg
01.2010 - 2013.04
Competent A - MHSA - undefined
Mining Qualification Authority
01.2015 - 2015.04
First Aid Training, SHE REP Training, Fire Fighting - undefined
DTTI
01.2023 - 2023.04
Logging and core sampling - undefined
Diverse Corporate Training Solutions PTY Ltd
01.2016 - 2016.04
Grade control, Dilution Management and Reconciliation - undefined
Global Prospectus Training (Pty) Ltd
01.2015 - 2015.04
3D Geological Modelling - undefined
Global Prospectus Training (Pty)
01.2015 - 2015.04
Skills
QAQC compliant, effective communication, implementing safety standards, database management, leadership, time management, problem solving, planning, delegation, teamwork motivation, chromite, platinum, Andalusite, Iron ore (detrital, calcite, BIF & Hematite), Manganese, coal
Affiliations
- Member of the Geological Society of South Africa (GSSA)
- South African Council for Natural Scientific Professionals (SACNASP)
References
Available on Request
Timeline
Operations Manager
Mzansi Exploration, Drilling and Mining Pty Ltd
10.2023 - Current
Exploration Geologist
IMERYS Refractory Minerals Pty Ltd
03.2023 - 09.2023
First Aid Training, SHE REP Training, Fire Fighting - undefined
DTTI
01.2023 - 2023.04
Senior exploration Geologist
Thriveni Earthmovers Pty Ltd - Madagascar
06.2022 - 12.2022
Subordinate Mine Manager 2.6.1 appointment
Limberg Mining Pty Ltd - South Africa
01.2020 - 05.2022
MRM/ Senior Mine/ Production Geologist
Cronimet Chrome Mining SA Pty Ltd - South Africa
01.2017 - 12.2019
Logging and core sampling - undefined
Diverse Corporate Training Solutions PTY Ltd
01.2016 - 2016.04
Competent A - MHSA - undefined
Mining Qualification Authority
01.2015 - 2015.04
Grade control, Dilution Management and Reconciliation - undefined
Global Prospectus Training (Pty) Ltd
01.2015 - 2015.04
3D Geological Modelling - undefined
Global Prospectus Training (Pty)
01.2015 - 2015.04
Junior Mine/ Production Geologist
Cronimet Chrome Mining SA Pty Ltd - South Africa
01.2014 - 12.2016
Bsc Honors Geology and Mathematics -
University of Johannesburg
01.2010 - 2013.04
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