Fully integrated platinum group metals producer Impala Platinum Holdings (Implats) has proactively suspended mining operations at its Impala Rustenburg complex from July 24 to 28, to conduct a comprehensive safety reset in response to an increase in safety incidents at the operation.

The pause in operations is expected to provide the opportunity to engage employees, strengthen operational discipline and reinforce critical safety controls, the company says in a July 27 statement.

Implats recorded no fatalities across its mining and processing operations during the six months ended December 31, 2025; however, an increase in serious safety-related incidents at Impala Rustenburg in the early parts of this year prompted this decision, the company informs.

Implats confirms that it recorded four fatal injuries in the financial year ended June 30, this year, compared with eight in the 2025 financial year. Further, it says two employees have died in underground locomotive-related incidents in July.

In a separate statement from July 25, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) expressed its anger at the deaths of two employees at Implats’ Rustenburg Operations within two days.

The first death was reported at Impala 10 Shaft on July 23, when an employee was declared unresponsive by paramedics. The cause of death remained under investigation. In the second incident, a fatal rail-bound equipment accident occurred at 14 Shaft, 27 Level Tips, on July 24, AMCU said at the time.

According to a report received by AMCU, locomotive 437 was hauling fully loaded hoppers from 27 UG2 when it derailed at the tipping section. While efforts were under way to re-rail one of the derailed hoppers, locomotive 440 collided with the hopper. The operator of locomotive 440 was pinned against the sidewall and sustained fatal injuries, the union explained.  

The deceased was a 48-year-old male employee from Phokeng in the North West. He had 11 months’ service at the shaft. The Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate had started an investigation.

These deaths bring the number of employees who have lost their lives at Implats’ operations this year to seven, AMCU pointed out.

It added that the latest accident is the second rail-bound equipment fatality at Implats during July, and the third rail-bound equipment-related fatality at the operations within a year.

“This disturbing pattern points to systemic safety failures that require immediate intervention,” AMCU stressed, informing that it had written to Implats CEO Nico Muller demanding urgent action.

“In our letter, we requested that Impala urgently organise an Emergency Safety Briefing, preceded by a controlled safety stoppage of operations, while maintaining essential safety and emergency arrangements, so that all employees can be addressed at a Central Mass Meeting,” AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa said.

This emergency safety briefing was requested to take place on July 28, with Impala since agreeing to the request, AMCU noted at the time.

“Following the emergency safety briefing, joint inspection teams must visit every shaft to assess compliance with safety standards and identify immediate workplace hazards. These teams must include AMCU representatives, elected health and safety representatives, management representatives and independent safety experts,” Mathunjwa stressed.

The union requested that the audit findings be consolidated into a single safety compliance audit report, which identifies the corrective measures required, the persons responsible for implementing them and the applicable deadlines.

Moreover, the union is calling for the original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) responsible for the proximity detection system installed on the locomotives to be formally included in the investigation.

“It must be established why the system did not detect the collision risk and prevent locomotive 440 from colliding with the derailed hopper,” Mathunjwa emphasised.

RESET PROGRAMME

Impala Rustenburg CE Moses Motlhageng says the safety reset provides an important opportunity for engagement, learning and recommitment.

“It allows us to honour those who have been affected by recent incidents, strengthen our controls and re-establish the discipline required to operate safely.”  

Motlhageng says employees returning to work would do so with the assurance that rail-bound equipment has been thoroughly re-assessed and re-verified.

During the safety reset, Impala Rustenburg is implementing a structured programme of interventions aimed at reinforcing safe working practices and addressing areas of concern.

Activities include a central mass employee engagement session, led by the Motlhageng, to reinforce safety commitments and align on expectations before operations resume.

There is also enhanced visible felt leadership engagements across all operating areas; comprehensive workplace inspections, audits, make-safe activities and re-verification of workplace conditions; revalidation of critical controls associated with the operation’s principal fatal risks; and targeted training and competency reinforcement for locomotive operators and employees involved in rail-bound equipment operations following recent rail-bound equipment incidents.

In parallel to the safety reset, Impala Rustenburg will implement several additional safety assurance measures aimed at identifying contributing factors and strengthening existing systems. 

These include facilitating structured employee focus groups to gain deeper insight into personal, team, workplace, behavioural and social factors that may be contributing to the recent safety trend; appointing independent third-party specialists to conduct an objective assessment of existing safety systems and to identify potential gaps and recommend enhancements; and engaging the OEM supplying locomotive anti-collision and detection technology, to further improve the technology’s capability.

Impala Rustenburg employs about 51 500 employees across mining and processing operations and is expected to have produced between 1.67-million and 1.76-million ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum ounces on a stock-adjusted basis in the 2026 financial year.

The temporary suspension of operations will have an impact on production from Impala Rustenburg of about eight days during the 2027 financial year reporting period, which ends on June 30, 2027.

The tonnage and ounce production impact will be assessed following the suspension.