At the recent Datamine Africa User Conference 2025 in Johannesburg, Senior Mining Engineer Rito Mahundla presented a compelling session on “Unlocking Stope Flexibility in MSO.” The presentation addressed a critical challenge in underground mine planning: how to move beyond standard Mineable Shape Optimizer (MSO) outputs to achieve greater flexibility, efficiency, and ore extraction in stope design.

The conference was held on 14 and 15 May 2025 at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton, and VBKOM Mining Engineers Divine Ile and Elaine Sibanda also attended as delegates.

Image: Senior Mining Engineer, Rito Mahundla

Image: VBKOM Attendees, Divine Ile and Elaine Sibanda with Rito Mahundla

Background and Objectives

Traditional MSO workflows generate stope shapes based on fixed parameters, which can limit adaptability in complex ore bodies. Rito’s objectives were clear:

• Go beyond default MSO results to introduce operational flexibility
• Incorporate the design of pillars (sill and rib) into stope layouts
• Enable manual stope and grade control
• Maximize ore extraction while maintaining safety and practicality

Methodology: A Flexible Approach to Stope Design

The core of the methodology involved rethinking how MSO is configured:

• Shape Configuration: Leveraging MSO’s capabilities to generate initial stope shapes using practical mining parameters.
• Section and Level Intervals: Shifting from fixed to coordinate-based settings, allowing engineers to tailor stope geometry to site-specific geology and operational needs.
• Manual Adjustments: Introducing manual stope edits for grade control and the inclusion of pillars, providing the ability to adapt designs rapidly without the need to re-run the MSO process.

Results: Practical Benefits and Improved Extraction

The results demonstrated several key benefits:

• Enhanced Flexibility: Engineers can now adjust stope shapes on demand, optimizing layouts in response to changing geological data or operational constraints.
• Improved Short-Term Planning: The ability to manually refine stope designs supports more agile and responsive short-term mine planning.
• Maximized Extraction: By enabling the inclusion of pillars and targeted grade control, the approach increases the potential for ore recovery from each stope.

Conclusion: A Foundation for Optimization

The presentation concluded that MSO remains a powerful tool for initial optimization, but its true value is unlocked when combined with manual stope adjustment. This hybrid approach empowers mining engineers to:

• Make real-time changes to stope designs
• Improve operational flexibility and responsiveness
• Support higher extraction rates and better alignment with production goals

Image: Rito Mahundla Presenting

Acknowledgements

We extend a special thanks to the management and staff at VBKOM and Datamine Africa for their support in developing and delivering this innovative approach in creating a platform for users to share their experiences and knowledge.