John Wallington is a qualified mining engineer and served as the global chief executive officer of Anglo Coal for six years, out of a 27-year career with the global mining giant.

Firestone said Wallington was a major player in bringing together the Black Empowerment transaction in 2007, which was a necessary step for Anglo Coal to meet transformation targets.

John Dreyer, on the other hand, has experience at Anglo Platinum, where he was executive director of business development.

He was later director of Pangea DiamondFields, in which role he was instrumental in getting the company listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market, Firestone said.

Dreyer was previously also a director of South Africa’s Richards Bay Coal Terminal, chief executive officer of private investment company Tavistock and managing director of Shell Minerals Africa.

“We are extremely pleased to have been able to attract directors of the calibre of John Dreyer and John Wallington to our board,” Firestone Energy chief executive officer Garth Higgo said.

“Their considerable mining and corporate experience, together with their skills in managing large bulk mining operations, will be invaluable as Firestone Energy continues to develop its South African projects.”

Firestone said the appointments would strengthen the company as it moved toward a bankable feasibility study of its Waterberg coal project in South Africa.

The Perth-based explorer is currently aiming to raise at least $A4 million ($US2.83 million) to fund a 50% stake in four more permits in the region to boost its JORC-compliant total resource by 995.9 million tonnes of coal, including 558.9Mt of indicated resources and 437Mt of inferred resources.