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20 May 2020

So. Africa: Mining companies say lockdown will kill the industry as more employees test positive

Sibanye Stillwater Ltd Chief Executive Officer says South Africa’s mines must be allowed to run at full capacity as a national coronavirus lockdown risks crippling the industry. The government last month permitted miners to restart operations with half their normal workers amid concerns the shutdowns could damage the viability of the nation’s deep-level mines. However the CEO of Sibanye Stillwater Ltd says that this is not sufficient.  “Labor intensive mines cannot continuously operate at these levels, so they will either have to restructure or shut down,” said Froneman, whose company runs gold and platinum operations. “You can’t keep on producing at a loss.” This comes at a time when Impala Platinum (Implats) temporarily shut down its Marula mine in Limpopo Province after finding a "cluster" of positive Covid-19 cases. The MEC of Health in Limpopo has demanded that the mine must quarantine everyone.