All 2 200 Bafokeng mineworkers back safely to the surface, says Implats

Impala Platinum said on Wednesday that as of 17:05 afternoon, all 2 205 mineworkers at its Bafokeng Rasimone mine had returned to the surface.

The protest action began on Monday morning without the sanction of the representative union, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). The company said on Wednesday afternoon that by 14:50, all North Shaft employees had returned to surface, and by 17:05 all South Shaft employees had returned to surface.

Implats has said the dispute stemmed from "misunderstandings brought to the fore by the recent change in ownership at Impala Bafokeng." This included concerns over the historical employee profit share arrangement being converted, at the election of employees, into an employee share ownership trust; as well as misunderstandings about the ability to pay out accumulated pension fund balances.

"Implats is grateful the protest action concluded swiftly and without safety incidents, given it occurred in the operation's underground workings, in breach of safety regulations, and against a background of increasing incidents of a similar nature at other mining companies," Implats said.

"Implats is thankful for the support received during this protest action, and the assistance provided in securing the safe return of our employees to surface, and reiterates its commitment to constructive and mutually respectful employee engagement."

It added: "Our focus now shifts to safely completing the planned operational shutdown at Impala Bafokeng ahead of the upcoming Christmas break, instituting required disciplinary processes, and securing the sustainability of the operation amid the low metal price environment."