SIBANYE-Stillwater said it had concluded a successful safety summit with the South African government and unions in which the parties last week set aside differences and resolved to work together to reverse the increase in underground fatalities since 2017.
Amid concerns safety had plateaued, the group said that a “… stakeholder pledge was crafted by all attendees, establishing the scope and spirit in which stakeholders agree to work further towards achieving Zero Harm”.
“Sibanye-Stillwater is concerned that a plateau has been reached specifically with regard to fatalities and that a different and collaborative approach involving all stakeholders is required, if the industry is to achieve its aspiration of Zero Harm,” it said. The company reported another underground fatality at its Driefontein mine last week.
Seven fatalities occurred at the Masakhane section of Driefontein mine in May where operations were subsequently suspended. There were also seismic events at the Kloof section, but these were described as normal geological events by the company. The impact on output was about 160 kilograms of gold, equal to 5,240 oz as of May 5.
A further meeting on safety was scheduled to take place between the parties in three weeks’ time “… where multi-stakeholder work streams will discuss and agree on critical actions that need to be taken,” the company said.
