The Minerals Council South Africa this week dismissed claims that the mining industry was a South African ‘epicentre’ for the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a press statement released earlier this week, the Council said that it took issue with the narrative about the spread of Covid-19 in the industry. It said that the narrative was coming from ‘newspaper reports or government officials not part of the regulation of the industry, who often lack a proper understanding of the precautionary processes implemented by the industry which give rise to the data on which they base their mistaken assumptions’. It also said that this led to fear among mine workers and mining communities.
In its statement, the Council said that it was incorrect to say that people working in the mining industry were more at risk of getting Covid-19. There is widespread testing in the industry, with the vast majority (95%) of cases being asymptomatic. In addition, the Council said that employees in the industry received high levels of care, as evidenced by the fact that there had only been one death, even though nearly 700 cases had been identified.
The Minerals Council is an industry body for employers in the mining industry, to facilitate interaction and co-operation around policy and other issues.