Hardy brings more than 30 years of technical and operational experience in the mining industry.

The world's largest copper producer and a symbol of national pride, is aiming this year to reverse two years of falling production.

The Jansen Stage 1 project is at 44% completion, said the global miner.

Some 469 employees were transferred to Sibanye's other PGM operations, while another 226 were taken off the payroll.

Among the five frontrunners for presidency, three have vowed to continue with the plans to close the Cobre Panama mine.

Glencore aims to take thousands of metric tons of Russian aluminum from the LME and return it at a later date to profit from rule changes.

Krivelj used to be a lively village surrounded by green hills, then mining began in the 1970s, and pollution has quadrupled since Zijin took over.

Japanese trading houses Mitsui and Sumitomo have also been studying the assets, Bloomberg said.