Specialised Cleaning for Materials Handling
Specialist process cleaning and industrial services company Bongela Mining & Industrial Services is redefining how operations approach maintenance, safety, and efficiency across South Africa’s platinum, gold and increasingly industrial sectors. Established in 2009, Bongela has evolved from a niche silo cleaning operation into a multi-service provider supporting critical plant infrastructure across both mining and heavy industry.
Today, the company partners with leading mining houses as well as clients in the cement and industrial processing sectors, delivering high-risk cleaning, inspection, and rehabilitation services that reduce downtime and improve operational performance. “At its core, we are about solving real operational challenges on-site,” says CEO Raymond Graham.
As little as one to two days
Bongela’s origins lie in addressing one of the mining industry’s most persistent challenges: the safe and efficient cleaning of silos and processing infrastructure.
Traditional methods were labour-intensive, slow, and often hazardous, exposing workers to risks such as engulfment and structural collapse.
By introducing specialised techniques and systems, Bongela reduced cleaning times from a week to as little as one to two days, while minimising risk. This ability to accelerate maintenance cycles without compromising safety has become a defining feature of the company’s value proposition.
Dry and wet
From this foundation, Bongela has evolved into a provider of integrated process cleaning and maintenance solutions, with capabilities that extend across both dry and wet sections on mines and a wide range of processing environments.
This includes the cleaning of bunkers, transfer bins, and thickeners, where material build-up can severely impact throughput, as well as the deep cleaning of flotation cells and associated systems to support optimal recovery performance.
Other sectors
The company has also developed strong capabilities in hydro-mining and material recovery, using high-pressure and ultra-high-pressure water jetting systems to reprocess accumulated material in process control dams and all wet circuits, often returning valuable resources back into production.
Importantly, these capabilities are not limited to mining. Bongela’s expertise in confined spaces, high-risk environments and process infrastructure has enabled the company to expand into industrial, cement and petrochemical sectors, where similar operational challenges exist.
Working-at-heights safety
“Our approach is always safety-first,” says Graham. “We design our methods to eliminate unnecessary exposure, reduce manpower in confined spaces, and ensure that every job is executed with the highest level of control.”
In addition to cleaning and maintenance, Bongela supports clients with inspection reporting, working-at-heights safety systems, and access solutions, enabling more proactive, compliant and efficient asset management.
Rope access technicians
Bongela employs a highly specialised workforce, including rope access technicians and process cleaning specialists. Wherever possible, the company sources talent from local communities around its operational sites, contributing to skills development and employment.
“Our people are our greatest asset,” Graham concludes. “This is not a commoditised service. It requires experience, training, and trust. We invest heavily in our teams training and skill development to ensure that we deliver consistently high-quality work.”
