PAN African Resources said today its chief operating officer Bert van den Bergh was “seriously injured” in a failed robbery at his home in Johannesburg on Sunday.
“Pan African and its employees wish Mr van den Bergh a speedy and full recovery and will keep the market appraised of further developments,” it said in an announcement to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
The company added that it had put “… the necessary plans in place at all its operations to ensure business continuity”.
Hethen Hira, spokesman for Pan African, said the attack was unlikely to be related to work as Van den Bergh was “… more on a strategic ops level for operational growth and not involved with any supply chain issues”.
South African mining executives have increasingly been vocal about the increase in on-mine violence perpetrated by criminal groups seeking to supply mine services.
Errol Smart, MD of Orion Minerals, described protests by local community members near its Prieska Copper-Zinc Project in the Northern Cape province earlier this year as “mafia-type behaviour” as they were seeking to pressure the company into awarding them contracts.
In August, the vice-president of supply chain at Sibanye-Sibanye was shot dead at a residence in Cape Town which the company said was unrelated to work.
In May, Richards Bay Minerals reported that its general manager, Nico Swart had been shot dead whilst travelling to work. The company subsequently suspended production its Richards Bay premises amid increasing criminality including attacks on mine property.
