Lehlonolo “Hloni” Manyakoana models production in an underground mechanised platinum mine so that scheduling and machine-allocation decisions can be tested before they disrupt a real operation. The work uses Sibanye-Stillwater’s Bathopele mine as its operational case study.
Why the mining cycle matters
When commodity prices are under pressure, productivity cannot be treated independently from cost and asset use. Delays in one activity propagate through drilling, loading, hauling, support and maintenance. Collision-avoidance interventions can also change the timing and capacity of the cycle even when they improve safety.
Hloni’s model represents the bord-and-pillar production environment and the behaviour of load-haul-dump vehicles and other operating resources. The research integrates simulation with scheduling and equipment-allocation optimisation to evaluate how changes affect production at system level.
Model development
The intermediate study established an agent-based and discrete-event simulation structure, verified the production logic and tested data-analysis approaches. It also identified limitations in the early experimental design, including too few simulation runs and the omission of geological potholes that restrict routes and access to ore blocks. Those findings provided a clear programme for strengthening the final model.
Progress and collaboration
Hloni is a Sibanye-Stillwater bursar whose study period was extended to complete the master’s research. The work is jointly supervised by Prof Stephan Heyns and Dr Stephan Schmidt. By mid-2026, the research was complete and the dissertation had reached its second internal review.