Mining houses need to test all their employees – Makhura

Gauteng Premier David Makhura said following meeting with mining houses on the West Rand on Wednesday together with Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku, they want mining houses to test all their employees.

Makhura and Masuku visited Sibanye Gold Mine and AngloGold Ashanti Hospital to assess their compliance with health and safety protocols.

AngloGold Ashanti confirmed earlier this week that 53 employees tested positive for Covid-19 at Mponeng mine.

Makhura says the West Rand has now been identified as a hotspot as a result of the significant increase in Covid-19 cases over the past week.

The West Rand alone this week has had a combined 169 new infections, and Makhura said this is of great concern to them.

“We will direct all the necessary provincial support and also ask for national support to contain the spread of the virus in the mines,” Makhura said.

The premier said mining houses do have their own resources such as nurses, hospital beds and clinics, which will now be used as a comprehensive response to contain the spread.

The premier’s command meeting also involved Harmony and Gold Fields mining houses, and the department of mineral resources, as they assessed the compliance of social distancing and screening.

Makhura said he wanted the mines to test all their employees, not just screening them.

“Gold Fields has tested their first 100 employees, fortunately, they all tested negative, in the second group of 100 only one case came out positive.”

AngloGold Ashanti hospital is being refurbished into a Covid-19 facility.

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