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Mining Weekly reports that Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe on Friday urged mines to test for Covid-19 to the full extent without fearing mine closure.
The Minister was responding to media questions on steps being taken to end the backlog of close to 100,000 tests, how testing could be increased and what would trigger a mine shutdown. The Minister said the primary objective of the insistence of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) on Covid testing was to detect the extent of the infection. In the case of one mine, the extent of positive testing had been such that the mine itself agreed to closure. On capacity for testing, Mantashe said the DMRE had advised the mines to pool their resources and to establish regional centres for testing collaboratively. On closure of mines, the Minister said: “It’s not the primary intention to close operations. The primary objective is to detect the extent of infections at the mine so that we know the size of a problem we’re dealing with because we know we’re better off with full knowledge.” It the case of Mponeng in Carletonville, Mantashe said that on the basis of the numbers, the mine had agreed with the DMRE that it should be closed until everyone was clear on the problem.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Mining Weekly
- See too, Calls for testing of mineworkers to be stepped up, at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page