The improving security situation, supported by national and provincial governments, has enabled Rio Tinto to begin the process of restarting operations at its Richards Bay Minerals operation on the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, two months after it halted all mining and smelting activities due to an upsurge in violent attacks.
CE Minerals Sinead Kaufman says its collaboration and constructive dialogue with the mine’s host communities and their traditional authorities have helped Rio Tinto to restart operations.
Kaufman says the force majeure on customer contracts declared on June 30 remains in place. With operations ramping up towards capacity, the overall impact of the site closure and the shutdown of its No 4 furnace on July 21 has still to be assessed.