South African major Sibanye has commenced a formal consultation process after outlining restructuring proposals for its declining Beatrix 4 shaft and Kloof 1 plant operations in the Witwatersrand Basin that could cost close to 2,500 jobs.
Sibanye says several attempts to address productivity and operational issues at Beatrix and the depletion of mineral reserves at Kloof have been unsuccessful, and it was increasingly evident that growing costs and falling productivity could not sustain profitability at either project.
While 1,959 Sibanye workforce and 465 contractor positions were at risk, the aim of the consultation was to avoid job losses.