Production from Sibanye-Stillwater's Siphumelele shaft in Rustenburg, South Africa, has been temporarily suspended due to damage to surface infrastructure on February 29.
A mishap occurred when a collector bin connected to the shaft headgear broke loose and plummeted to the ground, causing harm to the surface ore conveyor belt system.
The company said production had to be suspended due to the incapacitation of the ore collector bin and the collapse of the conveyor system.
Fortunately, there were no injuries reported as a result of the incident.
Sibanye is currently conducting investigations to determine the cause of the incident, while also evaluating the potential impact on the annual production from the Siphumelele shaft.
The Siphumelele shaft is expected to generate an average of 4,500 ounces of platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold (4E) per month this year.
This represents about 3.5% of Sibanye's annual output from its platinum group metals operations in South Africa, excluding third-party processing.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
