Jobs at risk as Trans Hex plans to mothball mine
Yet more miners could face retrenchment after the alluvial diamond miner said it was talking to the NUM about potential job losses at the mine
On Friday, Trans Hex became the latest mining group to warn of potential job losses, joining AngloGold Ashanti and rebranded Sibanye-Stillwater, which are considering a similar exercise. Trans Hex plans to place its struggling Baken mine in the Northern Cape on care and maintenance from November, which could leave at least 332 employees without jobs. The envisaged job cuts in the mining industry would exacerbate the dire unemployment situation in SA, with the official unemployment rate already sitting at a 14-year high of 27.7%. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which represents the affected employees at the mine, said the surrounding community of 15,000-20,000 people depended on the mine for their livelihoods. NUM regional secretary for the Western Cape Lefa Phatsoane said the union was pinning its hopes on the Department of Mineral Resources to save jobs at the Baken mine, which has been operating for more than 45 years. “We are relying on the [Department of Mineral Resourc...
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