The warning came from the minister who said that it was in the interest of mining operations to comply with the lockdown regulations.
MINING operations that do not comply with Level 4 regulations will be shut down.
The warning came from Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, who stated that at the heart of the government’s programmes was the protection of people’s lives and livelihoods.
“When we agreed that mines should operate at reduced capacity, we highlighted the importance of protecting and saving the economic infrastructure beyond the lockdown period,” Mantashe said on Wednesday.
He added that it was in the interest of mining operations to comply with the lockdown regulations. “We are not going to put people at risk for production,” Mantashe said at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Bathopele Platinum Mine in Rustenburg, where he monitored compliance with the lockdown Level 4 regulations.
The visit to the mine follows a number of unannounced visits to mining operations to monitor compliance with lockdown regulations.
Mantashe emphasised that mineworkers must be tested for Covid-19, warning that failure to do this will put the lives of miners at risk.
“The economy will never be the same again. Mining in South Africa will never be the same again. The current lockdown regulations will be applicable far beyond the lockdown period,” the minister said.
He also called for the implementation of a rigorous screening and testing programme as employees return to work.
