Mantashe to receive R1m of PPE from Sibanye-Stillwater

5th May 2020 By: Tasneem Bulbulia - Senior Contributing Editor Online

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe will on May 6 receive personal protective equipment (PPE) worth R1-million from precious metals mining company Sibanye-Stillwater.

The donation is part of the mining sector’s support in containing the spread of Covid-19.

A handover ceremony will be held at the JST Hospital, in Rustenburg, on May 6.

This donation follows the unanimous decision of Sibanye-Stillwater's board and executive management to contribute a third of their remuneration, for the next three months, to the national Solidarity Fund, established to cushion the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the most vulnerable members of South African society.

This decision, Sibanye-Stillwater explained in a media release to Engineering News & Mining Weekly, followed the commitment by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, Deputy President David Mabuza, Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers to donate a third of their salaries, for the next three months, to the Solidarity Fund.

Sibanye-Stillwater, which employs more than 80 000 people in South Africa, is also a significant employer in the US and in Southern Africa, where it also supports local communities and local businesses.

The Johannesburg- and New York-listed company, headed by CEO Neal Froneman, made the statement in solidarity with their employees and other South Africans to heed the plea for additional support in the national fight against Covid-19.

The Solidarity Fund, the release stated, aimed to prevent the spread of the disease in South Africa by supporting measures to “flatten the curve” and lower infection rates.

Fund activities would be reported in a transparent manner and the fund’s administration was being done by professional managers and private-sector organisations under fund chairperson Gloria Serobe, who was appointed by Ramaphosa.