Rio Tinto, the global mining company, has declared force majeure at its operation in KwaZulu-Natal, Richard’s Bay Minerals (RBM), according to Miningmx.
Rio Tinto, which has head offices in London and Melbourne, owns nearly three-quarters of RBM, but has said it can no longer fulfil contracts because of the deteriorating security situation at the mine, which has been plagued with these issues for at least two years.
All operations have been stopped with immediate effect and until further notice.
This follows an announcement in April that an expansion of nearly $500 million at RBM had been halted indefinitely after it was put on ice two years ago. The expansion would have extended the life of the mine.
This announcement follows a high-level visit to the mine last month by senior government officials, including minister of mineral resources, Gwede Mantashe, and the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Sihle Zikalala. They had visited the mine to assess the security situation and asked that mining executives not be murdered, following the death of an RBM manager, Nico Swart, at the hands of unknown gunmen.
RBM employs 5 000 people and according to Miningmx exports titanium sludge which is used in the production of paint, plastics, sunscreen, and toothpaste.