When Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe criticised Impala Platinum (Implats), Business Day said in an editorial that he lacked insight and empathy for struggling companies (Gwede Mantashe’s lack of insight, August 3). The minister has committed to relationship building as a means to re-establish trust and enable regular communication between the department and the industry. Two significant meetings, among others, bear testimony to this. In the meeting of July 16 in the offices of Implats, challenges facing the four shafts in distress and how to respond to them were considered. It was agreed that the company would embark on a process in terms of section 52 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act with the aim of exploring all alternatives to save jobs, consider how the shafts could be kept in operation, and look at company restructuring. The August 1 meeting, from which Implats was conspicuously absent, was held in the offices of the Minerals Council, with the CE...

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