ZIMPLATS Permitted to Operate Despite Zimbabwe 21day Lockdown

The subsidiary of Impala Platinum (Implats), Zimplats, has been given permission to continue operating in Zimbabwe, although the country is in lockdown for 21 days from March 27 to midnight on April 19.  

In accordance with the Zimbabwean government directive of March 27 and a subsequent complementary statement by the Minister of Mining and Mining Development Winston Chitando on March 29, Zimplats applied for permission to continue operating under agreed precautionary measures.

The permit was granted and allowed mining and processing to continue relatively uninterruptedly during the lockdown.

Meanwhile, Zimplats received a letter from Implats about force majeure in relation to the offsale after the announcement of the national lockdown in South Africa that entered into force on March 26.

Notwithstanding the force majeure notification, Zimplats will continue to mine and process ore and will supply Implats, in accordance with the offtake agreement, once the force majeure has been lifted after the national lockdown.

Zimplats has issued force majeure letters to its contractors working on capital projects and other financial institutions, to legally suspend contractual obligations under existing contracts with them until the end of the current lockdown period or any extension thereof.

Zimplats notes in a statement that during the Zimbabwean national lockdown, its primary focus is on protecting the lives and livelihoods of its employees, contractors, service providers and communities by doing all it can to sustain the financial viability of its business and its contribution to the national wellbeing of the country.

In this context, additional measures have been taken to protect the health of workers on site during and after the lockdown period. These include heightened risk mitigation measures through early detection of Covid-19, an increased focus on pandemic awareness, workplace hygiene, medical surveillance, additional personal protective equipment, medical care, isolation and treatment of suspected and or confirmed cases.

To further support these efforts, Zimplats is preparing all of the company’s clinics and medical facilities to treat Covid-19 cases. These remain open and fully functional during the blocking period. At this point, however, no Covid 19 cases have been diagnosed on employees or their relatives.