JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Gold producer Harmony Gold was expected to start reopening the embattled Kusasalethu gold mine on February 15 after securing union and worker commitment to comply with policies and procedures and ensure safe and orderly behaviour.
The Carletonville-based mine would open in phases, and was scheduled to be operating at normal levels by April and reach full production by the end of June, CEO Graham Briggs said on Thursday.
South Africa’s third-largest gold producer closed the operations on December 20, 2012, to review its financial and operational status after a series of illegal strikes, a refusal by some employees to adhere to work policies and procedures and several incidents of violence by some employees and contractors.
The mine was set to remain shut until Harmony secured agreements from employees and worker representatives, such as AMCU, the National Union of Mineworkers, Solidarity and Uasa, on full compliance with the company’s conditions and a commitment to mine the asset in a safe and secure way “with full respect for the rule of law”.
The employees, with each signing a code of conduct to show their individual commitment, would return in phases from February 19 to ensure a safe and smooth process.
Briggs said a monitoring committee chaired by a senior commissioner of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, and comprising union leaders and management, would be established to ensure compliance with the agreements.
Should the mine “degrade to a situation similar to that which gave rise to the temporary closure”, Harmony would resume the currently suspended Section 189 process, Briggs stated.