In April 2019 Canyon Coal awarded W Masuku Transport & Projects, which is headed by William Ngoma Masuku (40), the contract to carry out the loading of the coal haulage trains at the Bronkhorstspruit siding.

William, a Bronkhorstspruit local, has a business background in farming which he says started at a young age when he worked for his father on the family farm. He then moved into the transport industry and over time bought several trucks including tippers and side-tippers becoming a municipal contractor for waste collection and disposal.

With his five 856H LiuGong front-end loaders, which have bucket capacities of 5 m3 , making them ideal for loading large tonnages of coal quickly and efficiently onto Transnet’s coal wagons, William and his team diligently load the wagons that are bound for the Richards Bay Coal Terminal, in Kwazulu-Natal

This is William’s first foray into the mining industry and he is excited to earn his stripes in the sector. He aims to achieve this with the support of his team of 11 employees working at the siding, many of whom have many years of experience working in coal train loading at other large sidings belonging to major mining companies. A notable experienced member of the team is Siding Supervisor Jabulani Mtshweni, who has over two decades worth of coal wagon loading experience.

Operators need to ensure that the trains are loaded safely, efficiently and accurately while maximising the use of the capacity in each wagon to avoid weight imbalances that could lead to derailments and other types of accidents occurring. The loading team works closely with Bronkhorstspruit Siding Manager Etienne Schoeman to ensure the safe, timeous and efficient loading of the coal trains.

There is never less than 10 000 ton of coal at the siding awaiting loading onto the trains with as many as seven trains arriving at the siding each week. William is very proud of the fact that his team has maintained high safety standards, while also simultaneously achieving exceptional loading times of between 1.5 and 3 hours per coal train.

“The experience I have gained from working with Canyon Coal has exceeded all my expectations. I never dreamt that I would have my own machines and be responsible for loading coal at an important siding,” states William.

He also makes special mention of Khanye General Manager Guy Thompson, who he says has taught him “a great deal” about mining and coal specifically.

“This knowledge has enabled me to fully appreciate the importance of the job I do and I look forward to continue learning about mining and ensure that I am in a position to take the numerous opportunities that the sector has to offer,” William concludes.