Leeuwpan Coal Mine is a large, operational surface coal mine situated in the Delmas region of Mpumalanga, South Africa—less than ten kilometers south-east of the town of Delmas in the Victor Khanye Local Municipality[1][2][4]. The area is significant due to its proximity to Johannesburg and the presence of highly productive arable land, historically regarded as the food basket of the region[1]. The mine is located on the western border of the Witbank coalfield, with local geology and coal seam characteristics closely matching those of the broader Witbank area[3].
First developed in 1991 and commencing box-cut mining in 1992, Leeuwpan has evolved through several phases and is currently one of the country’s significant open-pit coal mines[4]. It primarily produces thermal coal using conventional open-cut methods such as modified terrace configurations and truck-and-shovel operations. Coal at Leeuwpan is processed through dense medium separation (for both top and bottom seams) and also using jigging technologies[2][6].
The geology comprises up to five coal seams in the middle Ecca group of the Karoo supergroup, though at Leeuwpan, two main seams are identified: the top coal seam and the bottom coal seam. The bottom seam generally offers higher-quality coal than the top seam, with the coal seams often interbedded with sandstone, shale, and carbonaceous shale[3].
Leeuwpan’s coal reserve base is estimated at approximately 52.9 million tonnes with a total resource base (inclusive) of around 128 million tonnes[6]. The mine produces circa 3.65 million tonnes per annum of thermal coal, the majority of which supplies South Africa’s metals and power-generating industries, which consume about 2.5 million tonnes per annum of Leeuwpan’s run-of-mine coal[6][2].
Operational infrastructure includes a dedicated rail link (about 3 km for coal transport), equipment workshops, off-loading facilities, weighbridges for road transport, administration offices, and essential water management structures such as pit water dams, silt dams, and evaporation ponds. Access is facilitated by linking roads between Delmas, Leandra, and Devon[5].
Ownership has seen changes in recent years. While Exxaro announced in 2020 their intention to divest from Leeuwpan, and a sale to Overlooked Colliery was reported in 2021, Exxaro’s 2022 annual report confirmed the process was withdrawn and that Leeuwpan has remained part of the Exxaro portfolio[2].