DRDGOLD has resumed limited operations at its Ergo and Far West Gold Recoveries (FWGR) operating a two-shift cycle utilising 34% and 60% of total staff at the two facilities respectively.
“Although the law, on a technical interpretation, allowed for the continuation of our operations during the lockdown, the director-general of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), in an exchange of correspondence between myself and his office, confirmed a very important qualification in this regard, namely that it be done in a way that ensured the health and safety of staff,” said Niël Pretorius, CEO of DRDGold.
“We took guidance on what such measures entailed from the guidelines published by the DMRE, the Department of Health and the Minerals Council South Africa, and the plan that has since been put in place to sustain essential services at our Ergo and Far West Gold Recoveries (FWGR) operations was designed to keep staff deployment densities to a minimum and in conformity with those recommendations,” he said.
Pretorius said he was hopeful the lockdown, which will be in its fourth week on Friday, was starting to see a stemming in infections, but he warned that South Africa ought not let its guard down now or a lot of the good work would be undone. This would be disastrous for the South African economy were a speedy recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic was crucial.
“The containment of transmissions during the initial stages of the pandemic was nothing short of remarkable. Further containment is now in our own hands, and it would be a tragedy if we allowed the situation to get away from us through indifference, carelessness or ignorance,” he said.
“Several institutions and businesses are virtually on their knees and at risk of closure. It is essential for their survival that we build on this early success to get a relaxation of the lockdown as soon as possible,” he said.
