Governance
Suppliers
DCM endeavours to create a sustainable supply chain which drives value creation and business success for both local and national businesses. Our procurement practices are subject to good corporate governance, Mining Charter requirements, DCM values and building ethical relationships with our suppliers and contractors. In turn, we expect a reciprocal approach from our suppliers and contractors.
All suppliers and contractors are expected to:
- Protect health and safety.
- Protect our environment.
- Respect labour and human rights.
- Increase social accountability.
- Conduct business fairly and with integrity.
Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment:
DCM is committed to the Mining Charter and DTI Codes of Good Practice and expects a reciprocal approach from our Suppliers. We require that each Supplier provides a valid BBBEE certificate or affidavit and the Supplier hereby agrees to provide such certificate or affidavit, whichever is applicable, prior to inception of the Supplier. In the event that the Supplier fails to comply with this request DCM reserves the right to terminate any contract which may exist or be in the process of being concluded forthwith without any costs or obligation to the DCM.
Unsolicited Procurement Requests
DCM strongly supports the concept of fair opportunity and competition when engaging with suppliers and service providers. To achieve this, DCM makes use of RFQ’s and/or tenders when seeking to procure goods and/or services. Unless DCM is engaging with an OEM (Original equipment manufacturer) it would be remiss of DCM to only engage with one company for a specific item or service.
DCM has established a Supplier portal (www.dcmsmmeportal.co.za) to promote fair opportunities and competition in the market. You are encouraged to register your company on this portal. As and when business opportunities become available these will be advertised on the portal to give all interested and competent parties a fair opportunity to submit a bid. Based on the responses to such tenders DCM may call for further presentations where and when required. The awarding of any tender will be based on sound business principles for both DCM and the prospective bidder.
SHEQ Information
Zero Harm, Becoming Better
Dwarsrivier, where everyone goes home unharmed and a better individual.
The development and operation of Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine is based on several basic tenets:
- Striving towards observing the world-leading environmental, health and safety standards.
- Becoming a low-cost competitive chrome producer.
- Utilisation of cost-effective and productivity-enhancing designs.
- Incorporation of motivated, empowered, multi-skilled staff.
- Outsourcing of selected activities; and
- Establishment of a culture of continuous improvement.
The BBBEE certificate is one of the critical elements in the DCM SHEQ safety file requirements and is non-negotiable in terms of safety file requirements.
History
Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine is situated on the farm Dwarsrivier 372KT, approximately 30 km from Steelpoort and 60 km from Ladenburg in the Mpumalanga Province. Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine then Assmang purchased the farm, together with all surface and mineral rights in October 1998.
Civil work at Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine started in December 1999. By September of 2000 all construction work, which was commissioned in phases, had been completed.
Chromite is mined from an underground mine at a rate of approximately 2.4 Mt per annum. Underground mining commenced in 2004 and the opencast areas were mined out in 2005. Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine is specifically geared to deliver high quality metallurgical grade chromite to its suppliers. In addition, the plant has been designed to produce chemical grade product.
Scope
DCM defines the extent to which the Safety and Health (ISO 45001) and the Environmental (ISO 14001) and Quality (ISO9001) management systems are implemented at Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine. The scope of the operations of Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine entails the underground mining, beneficiation plant, tailings operation, all offices within the mine property, Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine sewerage system, Security and Dispatch of various grades of chrome ore and to do this in line with Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine’s Vision and Mission.
The types of chrome ore produced are:
- Fines:High grade metallurgical grade, low grade metallurgical grade and chemical grade.
- DMS Products:Lumpy and small lumpy.
SHERQ Policy Statement
Dwarsrivier is a Chrome Producing Mine located within the Magisterial District of Sekhukhune, in the Limpopo Province. All the chromite production from Dwarsrivier Mine is sourced from underground. Dwarsrivier Mine is situated in the eastern limb of the Bushveld Complex, which comprises persistent layers of mafic and ultramafic rocks, containing the world’s largest known resources of chromium.
Lifesaving rules
- Lockout-Tag out
- Working at heights
- Explosives
- Unsafe equipment & violation of safety devices
- Unauthorised access
Our Vision
To be a Profitable Ore Product Supplier of choice, flexible for future market conditions and changing environments.
Our Mission
We are a leading Ore Producer, our people are our key asset, we provide a healthy, safe work environment, and we invest in the communities around us. We achieve this.
We achieve this by doing the following:
- Commitment to the protection of the environment, including prevention of pollution and other specific commitments relevant to the context of the organization by determining the environmental aspects and put action plan to control the negative impacts.
- We are committed to comply with ISO 14001:2015, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001, legal requirements, and customer requirements.
- We are committed to produce on specification products that meets customer requirements by monitoring our critical parameters that affects our final products.
- We are committed to provide safe healthy working condition for prevention of work –related injuries, ill health and eliminate hazards at workplaces by conducting baseline risk assessment, issued based risk assessment and continuous risk assessment.
- We are committed to continual improvement of the integration management system (SHEQ) by conducting management review, internal auditing, monitoring of our interested parties need and expectation, and learning from SHEQ incidents/ accidents investigation and root cause analysis.
- We are committed to communicate, training, consultation and participation with our employees and interested parties on SHEQ risks and aspects.
- We are committed to achieve and meet our set SHEQ objectives and targets by providing resources, monitoring the action plan on monthly basis and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions.
This policy will be available on Dwarsrivier Share point, Local network on induction and if needed or requested by any interested parties and it will be revised every three years unless a need arise.
Initiatives and campaigns
Dwarsrivier is embarking on quarterly health and safety campaigns and will continue end-of-year Christmas campaigns when fatigue increases and the risk of safety incidents rises.
Three safety principles
Good housekeeping
Clean safe working environment
No injuries
All injuries are preventable
No repeats
Close out on all actions
General SHE objectives and planning actions
- DCM strives towards achieving 100% compliance to the SHERQ Compliance Obligations that the organisation subscribes to.
- DCM strives towards 100% management and control of significant environmental aspects that are applicable to the mine.
- We strive towards the adoption of the best available technological options that aid in the efficiency of the SHERQ Management System.
- We ensure a 100% provision of financial resources that will ensure the realisation of an effective SHERQ Management System.
- We ensure 100% efficiency of the integration of both operational and business requirements in the SHERQ Management System.
- We ensure 100% consideration of stakeholders or interested parties’ views in the implementation of the SHERQ Management System.
To allow Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine to achieve these goals, a Safety Health and Environmental, Risk and Quality Management System (SHERQMS) has been designed and implemented, comprising of the following scope:
- Suitable, adequate, and effective policy, procedures, and instructions.
- Identification of impacts, assessment of hazard and risks and control measures thereof.
- Resources, roles, responsibility, accountability, and authority.
- Contingency planning.
- Adequate and accurate Communication, Participation and Consultation.
- Competency, Training and Awareness.
- Setting of realistic objectives and management plans.
- Setting of realistic standards and specifications strictly enforced.
- Conformance to applicable legal, statutory, and other compliance obligations the company subscribes to.
All is aimed at creating and vesting sustainable working practices and performances essential for the improvement of productivity, customer satisfaction, and prevention of on-going and ill, health, safety, and costs to the benefit of all stakeholders, without compromising the environment.
Principles, standards, measures, and controls have been adopted, formulated, and translated into measurable SHERQ characteristics to meet interested and affected parties needs and requirements at optimum costs. It is thus designed to enable Dwarsrivier to fulfil its business obligation goals and objectives while at the same time enabling individuals to perform to their optimum level of ability.
The aim is thus to enhance interested and affected parties and customer satisfaction through the effective application, communication, monitoring, maintenance, correction, and improvement of the SHERQMS.
SHE Management System
To comply with the requirements as set out in ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, and ISO9001, Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine compiled a SHERQMM, documenting all elements as required in the standards. This document also refers to other procedures as required under the various clauses of ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 and ISO9001.
Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine is an ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified company and has been maintaining the certification year on year.
DCM has achieved 8 000 000 Fatality Free Shifts on 02 November 2023.
Infrastructure, Work & Support Services
Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine is providing suitable and adequate road network, operations and administration buildings, diversified transport, required raw materials, processes, equipment, energy, water, and facilities all underpinned by effective and efficiently planned support services to ensure the continuous production of quality products and on-time delivery thereof. Resources may be contracted in as and when required.
SED
DCM stakeholder map identified eleven community areas as its community stakeholders. These communities are constituted by rural villages that are under-developed in many respects such as high unemployment, poor roads networks, poor access to clean water, poor sanitation, poor electricity supply, poor educational infrastructure, and high illiteracy rate. These are rural villages within the Sekhukhune District Municipality (SDM), which in 2001 was declared a poverty nodal area by former President Mbeki in his state of the nation address.
According to the Sekhukhune District Municipality (SDM) Integrated Development Plan (IDP) of year 2023/2024, the district is made up of 117 wards with a total of 811 villages. There are 74 traditional leaderships. The total population is currently at 1 200 000 or 20.4% of the total population in the Limpopo Province. The district’s annual population growth is at 1.4%. According to the IHS Markit Regional Explorer Version 1750 the Sekhukhune District has the highest percentage of people living in poverty at 74.9%. This is when using the upper poverty line definition, which according to the National Poverty Lines of 9 September 2021 was R1 335 and refers to the food poverty line plus the average amount derived from non-food items of households whose food expenditure is equal to the food poverty line. This is an improvement of 7.7% from 82.6% of 2008.
According to the 2023/2024 IDP the unemployment rate is at 28.17%. Only 4% of the population has higher education. Mining (DCM included) is projected as the biggest contributor in the Sekhukhune area economy as it is growing at an annual average of 5.64%. The IDP lists the top five community needs as access to clean drinking water, supply of electricity, employment, access roads and education. The abovementioned community concerns have informed DCM’s strategic planning regarding community development. DCM has therefore strategically planned the value-adding intervention of the above in its SLP and Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives.
DCM has thus far fully implemented two generations of SLPs and is currently on its third generation SLP as approved in July 2022. The SLP development has its primary focus on aspects that seeks to address the above community regional challenges. DCM has thus far delivered amongst other things community households electrifications, water reticulation and roads construction, educational infrastructures such as construction of a school, ECD Centers and schools sanitation facilities. The SLP makes tangible commitments such as:
- Employment equity.
- HDSA’s management positions targets.
- Skills development.
- AET that includes FLC (both internal and external).
- Learnerships (both internal and external).
- Bursaries.
DCM further addresses these societal challenges through its CSI initiatives that are complementary to the SLP deliverables in order to improve the skills and employability of community members in an effort to eradicate poverty and to build a literate society. The company goals are to increase the social impact of socio-economic development whilst meeting and exceeding SLP commitments in compliance with prescribed legislative requirements.
The mine’s socio-economic, educational and skills development goals are:
- Education and skills development to promote employability.
- Develop local enterprises to create jobs.
- Develop local entrepreneurs to create supplier.
- Contribute to infrastructure development.
- Improve relationships and stakeholder engagement.
- Meet or exceed the skills development legislative requirements passed by Government.
DCM is collaborating with various government sectors (National, Provincial and local) in the planning of delivery of basic community needs services such electricity, water, access roads , skills development and local SMME enterprise/ supply development.
DCM Whistleblowers