Given that ousted minister Ramatlhodi is considered the main person that helped end a five-month strike in the country’s platinum sector last year, Zuma's decision is being questioned.
World's largest automaker would actually need to buy more platinum to scrub emissions, but for now investors believe the scandal will hurt the whole sector.
So far, copper prices have failed to react significantly to news of supply disruptions, remaining more responsive to news from China, the world’s largest consumer.