Diamond miner BlueRock Diamonds has suspended operations at its Kareevlei mine, in South Africa, following an unscheduled visit by officials of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) on January 20.
The officials issued an instruction in terms of Section 54 and Section 55 of the Mines Health and Safety Act that activities at the mine be suspended until contraventions identified by them are rectified.
Kareevlei is challenging the procedures followed by the officials, as well as the instruction to suspend operations, which BlueRock believes are not consistent with the protocols or requirements of the Act.
"It is emphasised that the contraventions which were identified do not place employees or other workers on the site at risk, and management is of the opinion that the instruction to suspend operations is not appropriate given the nature of the findings," BlueRock states.
The miner adds that it is dealing with the matters raised by the DMRE, most of which are for the processing plant.
It says corrective action will be completed by January 24, with the site expected to be operational by January 27.