Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has convened a meeting with senior executives of Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), following the fatal shooting of the mine’s GM Nico Swart on May 24.
The Minister was joined by members of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, including Premier Sihle Zikalala, Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy chairperson Sahlulele Luzipho, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner and seniors officials of the South African Police Services and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.
Since 2015, three employees of the mine have been killed, which Mantashe says taints the image of mining in South Africa.
“We must appreciate that crime is not a mining activity. Hence, we invited the police to help us deal with crime in mining. We can only decisively deal with crime and the killings by arresting, prosecuting and convicting the perpetrators,” Mantashe says.
He laments that if there is a view that it is dangerous to invest in South Africa, the country will not attract investment and stressed that these problems could be resolved through collaboration.
As at June 4, RBM had not yet commented on the circumstances around the shooting, as it was still under investigation by the police.
RBM is a subsidiary of global diversified miner Rio Tinto.