Implats suspends Rustenburg shafts for week-long safety reset

IMPALA Platinum (Implats) suspended production at its Rustenburg shafts on Friday for five days in order to conduct a “safety reset” following a series of rail-related incidents that occurred underground.Rustenburg comprised just over a third of Implats’ refined platinum group metal (PGM) production in the group’s 2025 financial year. For the 2026 financial year ended June 30, Rustenburg is expected to produce between 1.67 and 1.76 million 6E oz.Implats said in an announcement on Monday that the stoppage – between July 24 and 28 – will affect eight production days in total (until July 30). The impact on tons mined and concentrate extracted will be communicated after the shutdown, Implats said. The hit on production will fall in Implats’ 2027 financial year.“When our people return to work, they will do so with the assurance that all rail-bound equipment has been thoroughly re-assessed and re-verified,” said Moses Motlhageng, CEO of Implats Rustenburg. “No production target or operational objective is more important than the wellbeing of our people,” he said.Thirteen miners lost their lives in a hoisting accident at 11 Shaft in the Rustenburg complex in November 2023. A further 73 people were injured in the incident, in which a conveyance cage carrying 86 miners to the surface suffered a mechanical failure.There have been 30 fatal accidents in South Africa’s mining sector so far this year, an 11% year-on-year increase on 2025, according to Minerals Council South Africa data. Of the deaths this year, 13 have been in the platinum sector – four more than at the same stage last year – and more than in gold (11), which is unusual.The post Implats suspends Rustenburg shafts for week-long safety reset appeared first on Miningmx.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com