Closure of mines a ‘proposal for disaster’, warns Mantashe
Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe believes the suggestion that mining houses close down to prevent the further spread of Covid-19 is “proposing a disaster".
Mantashe made the comments during a parliamentary briefing on the mining sector’s response to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic on Tuesday.
“Your suggesting that all mines must be closed is not a solution. In actual fact you are proposing a disaster,” he told MPs.
There has been a growing concern over the transmission of Covid-19 in the mining sector since the move to lockdown level 4 at the start of May.
Mining houses are currently allowed to operate with 50% of the workforce.
A total of 312 miners have contracted the deadly disease as a result of increased operations in mines.
AngloGold Ashanti’s Mponeng mine near Carletonville has 196 positive cases of Covid-19 and has temporarily shutdown.
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Moab Khutsong mine in Matlosana also has ten positive cases.
But Mantashe maintained the department is doing all it can to prevent the further spread of the virus.
“That is why after we completed our visit in Limpopo, we said please quarantine all the people that are from the epicentres like the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng and to a lesser extent KwaZulu-Natal.
"Please quarantine them, screen and test them before they proceed to work. That is the precaution taken to minimise the importation of those infections.”