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RBPlat's Response to Covid-19
ROYAL BAFOKENG PLATINUM LIMITED
(Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa)
(Registration number 2008/015696/06)
JSE share code: RBP ISIN: ZAE000149936
JSE bond code: RBPCB ISIN: ZAE000243853
("RBPlat" or the "Company")
RBPLAT’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19
Following the President’s declaration of a National Disaster for the global COVID-19 pandemic a week
ago, the President on Monday, 23 March 2020, announced a national 21-day lockdown, starting at
midnight 26 March until 16 April 2020, to fundamentally disrupt the chain of transmission of the
coronavirus and keep South Africans safe.
As RBPlat, we offer our full support of the President’s decision for a lockdown, as despite initial efforts
for containment and awareness, the numbers in South Africa have been rapidly increasing. We will
therefore be placing our operations under care and maintenance, with only essential services in place.
For the past few weeks, we have been working closely with the Department of Mineral Resources and
the Minerals Council South Africa, to minimize the impact of the pandemic on our employees and the
industry as a whole. To ensure a co-ordinated approach, we will continue to engage and collaborate
during these difficult times.
We have also taken various precautionary measures at our operations to limit the spread and protect
our employees, with guidance from the South African government and recognised international health
bodies like the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the World Health Organisation
(WHO), the National Department of Health, as well as our internal health practitioners.
However, to give effect to the President’s announcement of a lockdown, RBPlat will implement the
following measures at its operations, with effect from midnight on Thursday, 26 March 2020:
- For the 21-day period, our operations will be placed under care and maintenance. This will
impact a large number of our employees and contractors who will be requested to stay at
home for this period, to ensure minimal exposure and containment of this virus.
- We will facilitate remote work for employees that are not required to work on site, to ensure
business continuity, as best we can.
- We will only have essential services available at our operations that are necessary for a care
and maintenance environment.
- This will also include our Clinic healthcare workers, to ensure the health and wellness of our
employees, to ensure that COVID-19 screening continues, and that employees continue to
have access to healthcare.
- Our Protection Services will be on alert to ensure that our employees and our assets at our
operations remain protected.
- Our health hygiene measures and our body temperature screening will continue at all
strategic points of our mine.
- Social distancing will continue to be practised, even with only the core essential teams on site.
- We have encouraged our employees and contractors to heed the President’s call for a nation-
wide lockdown, and refrain from travel outside the borders of South Africa.
- We are also working to protect our cash resources by proactively managing our capital
expenditure and working capital, as well as identifying opportunities for expenditure savings
that will not impact on the long-term success of the Company.
- Our COVID-19 Co-ordination Committee will continue to take guidance from the South African
government departments and the recognised international health bodies listed above, and
we will do everything we can to support the actions of these organisations in dealing with this
pandemic.
As a Company, we understand that we are facing unprecedented times, and we have the full support
of our Board of Directors and leadership teams, to make sure we mitigate the risks we currently face,
and prepare for the long term. The Company will update the market as soon as it is in a position to
quantify the impact of the lockdown with greater accuracy.
The safety of our entire staff, their families, our communities, and our business partners are the
priority for RBPlat at this current time. We can only encourage our employees, our contractors and
our communities to stay in lockdown and practise good hygiene. As a business we are confident of our
abilities to do everything we can to prepare to recover from this global pandemic.
‘At this stage it is difficult to predict the full impact of COVID-19, however we will take guidance from
the relevant authorities, monitor the situation closely, and take all possible actions to manage and
mitigate this situation in our workplace. As a first priority, we have already taken precautionary
measures to safeguard the health our employees’ and have facilitated remote working for our support
staff to ensure business continuity during this uncertain time. We are grateful to our staff, our partners
and our wider stakeholders for the commitment and resilience they have already shown during this
time of the COVID-19 global pandemic, and we echo the call of our President, to be courageous, to
show compassion, to show unity and to act in the best interest of all South Africans,’ said Steve Phiri,
RBPlat’s Chief Executive Officer.
Johannesburg
24 March 2020
JSE Sponsor
Merrill Lynch South Africa Proprietary Limited
For further information, please contact:
Lindiwe Montshiwagae
Executive: Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Tel: +27 (0)10 590 4510
Email: lindiwe@bafokengplatinum.co.za
About RBPlat
Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) is a mid-tier platinum group metals (PGMs) producer, originating
from a joint venture between Anglo American Platinum and Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH) known as
the Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum mine joint venture (BRPM JV).
In 2018 RBPlat became the 100% owner of its business, following the acquisition of the 33% portion
of the BRPM JV from Anglo American Platinum.
RBPlat mines platinum group metals in the Merensky and UG2 reefs on the Boschkoppie, Styldrift and
Frischgewaagd farms in the Rustenburg area which have been identified as hosting the last
undeveloped Merensky reef on the Western limb of the Bushveld complex. RBPlat’s assets are the
only known significant shallow high grade Merensky resources and reserves still available for mining
in South Africa.
Our strategy is underpinned by our aspiration of achieving ‘More than Mining’.
Further information is available on our corporate website: www.bafokengplatinum.co.za
Date: 24-03-2020 03:40:00
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