PERTH (miningweekly.com) − Junior miner Platinum Australia was seeking an urgent meeting with South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) after the government told the Smokey Hills platinum mine operator to suspend operations.

The DMR on Friday served a notice under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act on Phokathaba Platinum, claiming that the operator had failed to comply with its social and labour plan, including its local economic development projects and human resources development programme.

Platinum Australia said on Monday that Phokathaba was insisting that there were “no reasonable grounds” for the DMR’s claim, and after receiving legal advice, the operator believed that the notice had been served “without due process or procedural fairness”.

The operator was now seeing an urgent injunctive relief from the South African High Court.

ASX-listed Platinum Australia said that around 1 000 people were employed at its Smokey Hills operation by Phokathaba and its contractors.

The operation has been the subject of discontent between workers and owners, with the operations being suspended in May after a contract worker was killed by a mob of ex-employees, whose services were terminated in early February.
 

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