Sibanye halts production at Rustenburg shaft after damage

The Marikana platinum mine, located near Rustenburg, about 112km from Johannesburg. (Image courtesy of Sibanye-Stillwater)

Sibanye Stillwater on Wednesday said it has suspended production at its Siphumelele shaft in Rustenburg, which accounts for nearly 4% of its South African platinum group metal output, after an accident damaged surface infrastructure.

The diversified miner said in a statement no injuries were reported from the Feb. 29 incident when an ore collector bin attached to the shaft headgear collapsed to ground, damaging a surface ore conveyor belt system.

The damage to the ore collector bin and collapse of the conveyor system had resulted in the suspension of production from the shaft, Sibanye said.

Investigations into the cause of the incident were underway, while its impact on annual production from the Siphumelele shaft is being assessed, it added.

The shaft was forecast to produce an average of 54,000 platinum group metal ounces in 2024, approximately 3.5% of Sibanye’s annual output from its South African PGM mines.

(By Nelson Banya; Editing by Louise Heavens)

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