About Us
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Our Skills & Competencies
Oliver Barker started Banzi, originally Barker and Associates in 1982. He has a wealth of experience in the fields of engineering, exploration and economic geology. He has managed many projects over the years and is responsible for the publication of the Coalfields Map of South Africa, the Platinum Map of Southern Africa and the Gold Map of South Africa.
Oliver Barker - Founding Member
Expertise
Engineering, Exploration, Economic & Environmental Geology & Project Management.
Academic Background
BSc.(Hons) Geology. (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg); MSc. (Witwatersrand). Accredited University courses in Economics (2 years), Applied Economics and Business Economics.
Professional Accreditation
- Registered Natural Scientist; South African Council for Natural Scientists. (Pr.Sci. Nat)
- Member, Association of Engineering Geologists (AEG)
- Fellow, S.A. Institute of Engineering and Environmental Geologists (SAIEG).
- Fellow, South African National Institute for Rock Engineers (FSANIRE)
Other Memberships
- Fellow, Geological Society of South Africa.
- Member, Groundwater Division of the Geological Society of S.A.
- Member, International Association of Engineering and Environmental Geologists.
- Member, International Association of Impact Assessment (SA Section).
- Founder Member, Fossil Fuel Foundation of Southern Africa.
EXPERIENCE: 1970 - PRESENT
Engineering & Environmental Geology
- Geotechnical mapping for nuclear & fossil fuel power station foundations and tunnels.
- Foundation investigations for mining, industrial and residential developments.
- Dolomite instability and foundation investigations.
- Manager of several multidisciplinary industrial and pollution management projects.
- Rehabilitation of undermined ground - Gauteng, Mpumalanga & KwaZulu-Natal.
- Hazard analysis of undermined areas in the Gauteng & Mpumalanga Provinces.
- Environmental management planning & design for quarries & coal mines.
- Geo-Legal Services to the legal and mining industry.
Economic Geology & Mineral Economics
- Mineral resource evaluation and development, Southern African region.
- Market analyses for various commodities for developing regions.
- Feasibility studies and marketing of mineral rights for coal, gold & diamonds.
- Past lecturer on mineral economics at Wits Technikon.
- Publisher of seven editions of the Coalfields Map of South Africa (7th Edition 2007).
- Publisher of 1st Edition of the Gold Mines and Projects of South Africa (2003).
- Publisher of three editions of the Platinum Map of Southern Africa (3rd Edition 2008).
Exploration Geology
Exploration for platinum (PGE), gold, copper, diamonds & coal in Southern Africa and Nigeria.
Computer Services
- Experience in computer based mine reserve evaluation, mine planning and feasibility studies.
- Extensive experience in geological data base and mine planning software, AutoCAD applications to mining & geology, GIS & software development in related fields, including Techbase.
SUPPLEMENTARY DATA / KEY QUALIFICATIONS
- Consulted for many large corporations including AMOCO, ESKOM, Shell, Anglo American, Glencore, Lonrho and International Mining Consultants Limited.
- Completed several feasibility studies of surface and underground coal mining operations as part of due diligence exercises for potential purchasers.
- Experienced in the management and contract negotiation of coal exploration projects.
- Highly experienced in resource appraisal and the assessment of geological risk to mining prospects (coal, base metals, gold & diamonds).
- External experience includes work in the SADC region, Ghana, Nigeria and the USA.
- Experienced in computer applications to resource evaluations and geological databases and training clients’ personnel in the use of computers in geological modelling & resource evaluation.
Language Skills
LanguageENGLISHAFRIKAANSFRENCHGERMANSpeakingEXCELLENTGOODBASICBASICReadingEXCELLENTGOODFAIRFAIRWritingEXCELLENTGOOD BASIC
General
In addition to the MSc. dissertation, more than 150 technical reports have been authored or co-authored on a diversity of earth science projects. Published papers include those on economic, exploration and engineering geology and contributions to the definitive series of books on Engineering Geology of South Africa.
Positions held include:
Positions held include:
- President of SAIEG 2003 to 2004.
- Chair of the South Africa Section of the AEG (1996 - 2006).
- Occasional lecturer in Engineering Geology, University of the Western Cape.
- Convenor – Palaeoseismology 2000 Short Course and Workshop – Stellenbosch, November 2000.
- Interests include mountaineering, mountain biking, ecology, education and music. Past Chair of the Johannesburg Nursery School Training College PTA and Junior, Senior and High School PTA’s of Sacred Heart College, Johannesburg. Floyd T Johnson award 2003 of the Association of Engineering Geologists (USA) for services to engineering geology.
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