Mining Weekly reports that Pan African Resources (PAR) is on track to bring its Evander shafts back into operation, 30% leaner in terms of its workforce and within the company’s 55-day safety-linked mining suspension timeline.  

The group on 20 February announced the temporary suspension of underground operations at the Evander gold mine, in Mpumalanga, to complete infrastructure-critical refurbishment and maintenance on shafts 7 and 8.  The mine is to reduce the underground operation’s fixed cost base once mining restarts, with 30% of the mine’s employees having been retrenched at an estimated cost of R54-million.  PAR explained that the retrenched personnel were designated as redundant in terms of meeting production targets, following a productivity and human capital assessment. A retrenchment agreement was reached with the National Union of Mineworkers on 10 March.  To minimise the number of job losses, Evander Mines will seek to re-engage a number of retrenched employees when site activities for Elikhulu tailings project, in Mpumalanga, commence.

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