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Minerals Council shares details of mining industry's Covid-19 resilience with committee

Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter

Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater

19th June 2020

By: Marleny Arnoldi

Deputy Editor Online

     

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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) − With a higher test rate at 3.01%, compared with the national and global average test rates of 2.07% and 1.57%, respectively, South Africa’s mining industry is proving to be handling the Covid-19 pandemic better than most sectors, the Minerals Council has said.

Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter on June 19 shared some mining industry statistics and information related to how the industry has been responding to Covid-19 in a briefing with the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy.

He said the industry had undertaken a risk-based approach to put in place preventive mechanisms as best possible to get the industry back to work.

“The industry has focused on saving livelihoods as well as saving lives.

“This is a black swan event, causing unprecedented socioeconomic disruption, with no one having all the answers to how the crisis should be managed.”

The South African mining industry, with its 385 official mines has conducted 268 885 screenings and 13 543 tests, with 1 289 employees having tested positive for Covid-19.

Of these positive cases, 484 people have recovered, three have died and 802 are still active.

The gold sector has reported the highest number of positive Covid-19 cases, at 600, followed by platinum at 539, coal with 70 and the balance by other sectors such as diamonds, chrome and iron-ore.

The mining industry in South Africa employs about 450 000 people.

As early as mid-February, the council started communicating to its mining members about the World Health Organisation and National Institute for Communicable Diseases’ protocols on the management of a virus of this status and nature.  

Minerals Council representative Dr Thuthula Balfour discussed the industry’s health response to this highly disruptive incident, stating that the council had made sure that mining companies knew about the required consumables and personal protective equipment.

She noted that the council also urged mining companies to start educating their employees about Covid-19.

On March 17, the council adopted a Covid-19 preparedness plan, with ten steps as a guideline to help mines prepare for mitigating against the spread of the virus, such as the use of three-ply masks in addition to normal mining PPE.

The council specifically provided mining companies with guidance about high-risk people and the pre-existing conditions that make people especially at risk for hospital admission or death once they contract Covid-19.

It also collaborated with mining companies about quarantine facilities to ensure these were set up effectively.

Balfour pointed out that, given the high level of preparedness in the mining sector, the industry was doing more screening and testing that any other sector.

She added that more Covid-19 infections diagnosed in mining reflected the high number of workers in the mining industry, compared with other industries, and people would be mistaken to assume that mining was more prone to the spread of the virus.

Balfour highlighted that the industry's Covid-19 death rate was far lower than similar age groups in the country as a whole, owing to the industry taking a very cautious approach and taking extra measures for individuals who may be at greater risk.

Moreover, she noted that many mining companies had undertaken their own testing practices, making the sector efficient on its own for diagnosing the virus. 

LABOUR & COMMUNITY

Minerals Council representative Motsamai Motlhamme discussed labour issues in the industry since Covid-19, stating that the council had been engaging with various stakeholders to provide guidance on the interpretation and implementation of various disaster management publications that had been published since the lockdown.

The council had helped mining companies by facilitating the passage of employees from labour sending areas and created a standard format for the essential services permit for members.

He said the mining industry had helped employees with transport issues and helping taxis to mitigate against the spread of Covid-19.

Out of more than 20 000 mining employees located outside of the country, around 9 500 are currently scheduled for return to work. Motlhamme explained that most mining companies had paid their workers in full despite not working during the Level 5 lockdown period when the mines were not operating.

About 3 500 employees were due to return from Mozambique and 8 500 employees from Lesotho over the next month, since only about 400 workers can enter into South Africa a day respectively.

Minerals Council representative Tebello Chabana talked about how the mining industry had helped in communities, especially since Covid-19 had exacerbated existing issues in communities, such as food and water shortages.  

Chabana said the mining industry had helped communities with the supply of PPE, water tankers, food parcels, with access to education and with contributions to the Solidarity Fund, despite a 35% year-on-year decline in output for the sector in April as a result of Level 5 lockdown.

Baxter outlined that the mining industry had come to the party with Covid-19 testing, screening and safeguarding systems, as well as humanitarian efforts and safe operational systems in place.

Trade unions, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), Solidarity and Uasa, which also participated in the meeting with the committee each highlighted their praises for and concerns about the mining industry.

Uasa and Solidarity welcomed the mandatory code of practice that miners had to adopt, which was promulgated by government a few weeks ago. The unions said it provided more regulatory certainty and uniformity.

However, Uasa, Solidarity, NUM and AMCU had reiterated their calls for universal testing, or at least more random testing, of mineworkers to pinpoint and isolate the asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 where people do not suffer symptoms from the virus, but are still able to spread it.

All the unions also agreed that retrenchments should not occur at this time and urged the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to support struggling miners and for mining companies to consider all available remedies first.

In addition to the hardships that retrenchments will bring to mineworkers, the unions said the consultation process around retrenchments was also more challenging than normal, and therefore should be postponed or cancelled entirely.

The unions also called for support of contractor employees, such as allowing them access to the mines’ medical facilities.

Some of the unions commended mining companies that had been supporting small businesses, incentivising local suppliers to manufacture PPE, placing water tanks and donating food parcels in communities and other community initiatives.

However, AMCU, in particular, pointed out its concerns around noncompliant mines that had not provided their staff with PPE or quarantine facilities. The union believed that the mining industry remained “not Covid-19 ready”.

Baxter, in response, stated that the industry was much better and widely prepared in terms of having operational and mitigating systems in place, and that a few noncomplying companies should not be seen as the norm.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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