Johannesburg - Mineworkers in the small platinum town of Burgersfort in Limpopo have been dealt yet another blow, with Anglo American Platinum announcing 1000 job cuts at Twickenham mine.
This just weeks after ASA Metals announced it would be suspending operations at its Dilokong mine where over 2000 jobs are said to be on the line.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has described the latest devastating developments as a “blood bath of jobs”.
NUM’s national spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu said the community of Burgersfort relies heavily on mining to generate an income.
One mine worker feeds close to 10 people on a basic income.
The union said it had not been issued with a section 189 by Anglo American Platinum and were hearing about the latest job cuts through media inquiries.
“Once we have been issued with a section 189, we will engage in avoidance measures with Anglo,” said Mammburu.
According to reports, Anglo American Platinum explained that Twickenham mine stands to operate an estimated loss of more than R1.5billion over the next five years.
“Over the past year the US$ basket price of platinum group metals (PGMs) has reduced further by approximately 30%, which necessitates that the company intensify and accelerate changes to its portfolio to ensure its financial sustainability. Having reviewed various options, the board has approved that the process towards placing the operation on care and maintenance commences,” said the company's media manager, Mpumi Sithole.
Labour Bureau