The South African government has allowed the mining industry to resume operations at 50% capacity as the country’s lockdown was extended to early next month.
Pretoria had directed most underground mines to be put on care and maintenance during the lockdown.
Image credit: hangela (Pixabay)
Only coal mines supplying state power utility Eskom were allowed to continue with their operations.
“If you leave a mine for a long time, an active mine without activity, it poses the danger of rockfalls and increases the chances of seismicity, so we don’t want that,” said cooperative governance minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
“We agreed that mines should start operating at 50%.”
The Minerals Council South Africa welcomed the development.
“We commit the industry to the prioritisation of health and safety of employees as this phase-in gathers steam, with all the preventative and mitigating controls to fight Covid-19 in place,” council chief executive Roger Baxter was quoted as saying by Mining Weekly.
"It’s our view that government has adopted a pragmatic and practical approach to fighting the pandemic and enabling the economy to survive the crisis.”
The Minerals Council South Africa had warned that some mines might not re-open post the COVID-19 lockdown period owing to lack of cash flow.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
