23 Oct 2020, Mining Weekly: While virologists and risk analysts have been theorising about the effects of a global pandemic for years, few could have imagined the Covid-19 pandemic’s transformative impact on society. Even after the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a public health emergency in January, “how many people, globally, would’ve thought that the Covid-19 would have such a profound impact on the global economy, and the global population?” posits Minerals Council South Africa CEO Roger Baxter.

23 Oct 2020, Mining Weekly: Having recognised that fundamental research is critical to supporting the mining industry and others in dealing with the impact of Covid-19, the Minerals Council South Africa’s CEO Zero Harm Forum reallocated research funding to focus on three Covid-19-related areas.

23 Oct 2020, Engineering News: Minerals Council South Africa health head Dr Thuthula Balfour explains that the Minerals Council and its members recognised early on that the Eastern Cape would need assistance in addressing Covid-19. It is a mining-affected province, without mines. Historically, the industry has drawn many thousands of employees from the province and currently around 15% of members’ current workforce originate from the Eastern Cape.

14 Oct 2020, Mining Review: Senior Deputy Editor Chantelle Kotze speaks to Dr Thuthula Balfour about the Minerals Council South Africa’s strategy of reprioritising its occupational health programme which addresses TB, HIV and non-communicable diseases in the era of COVID-19.

18 Sep 2020, Citizen: Minerals Council head of health Dr Thuthula Balfour said its approach to addressing Covid-19 had been based on collaboration at its operations in communities where it operated and nationally.

16 Sep 2020, Mining Weekly: The Mineral Council South Africa on September 16 launched its Beyond the Mine Gate Field Guide.

04 Sep 2020, Mining Review: The Minerals Council South Africa believes that the COVID-19 testing initiative undertaken by its member companies was an important tool used by the mining industry, firstly, to better understand the progress of the virus, and secondly, to better manage the spread of the virus.

04 Sep 2020, Modern Mining: A number of Minerals Council members today provided a briefing on their approach to COVID-19 testing and the mitigating impact it has had on the incidence of the virus at their operations. These initiatives have also enhanced the availability of testing in their surrounding communities.

03 Sep 2020, Mining Weekly: About 75% of South Africa’s mining workforce has returned to work, reports the Minerals Council South Africa.

21 Aug 2020, Citizen: AngloGold Ashanti’s vice-president for health, Dr Bafedile Chauke, said they had handed over two of its hospitals that were no longer in use to the government.

21 Aug 2020, Citizen: AngloGold Ashanti’s vice-president for health, Dr Bafedile Chauke, said they had handed over two of its hospitals that were no longer in use to the government.

13 Aug 2020, Mining Weekly: The Minerals Council South Africa reports that a number of its members have contributed a combined R4.7-million towards oxygen and oxygen-related products for the Eastern Cape as the province battles Covid-19 infections.

06 Jul 2020, Modern Mining: The South African mining industry, directly and under the auspices of the Minerals Council South Africa, is seeking to increase its COVID-19 testing capacity, both for companies themselves and in support of the country’s overall testing imperative.

30 Jun 2020, Mining Review: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, another pandemic has been sweeping across the country.

12 Jun 2020, News24: In fact, it is the very extensive precautionary measures being taken by the industry that’s giving rise to this mistaken assumption.

29 May 2020, Mining Weekly: The South African mining industry is, generally, well prepared to deal with the return to work of a large percentage of staff as lockdown Alert Levels move from Level 4 to Level 3 on June 1, reports Minerals Council South Africa.

28 Apr 2020, Engineering News: JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Morale is reportedly high as Covid-masked and physically distanced South African mineworkers get back to mining underground for companies that have gone the extra mile to ensure that they have been fully remunerated and host communities generously funded during the national lockdown.

28 Apr 2020, Reuters: JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African mining companies are setting up shared quarantine facilities for miners testing positive for COVID-19 and are discussing other ways to cooperate, as the vital national industry gradually restarts operations halted since late March.

23 Mar 2020, Business Day: Mines say stringent measures are in place to protect employees from the coronavirus

18 Mar 2020, Mining Weekly: Minerals Council South Africa CEO Roger Baxter on Wednesday said the mining industry’s preparedness plans for dealing with the impact of Covid-19 were “very far advanced”.

17 Mar 2020, News24: So far, no coronavirus infections have been reported in the mining sector, according to a statement from the department of mineral resources and energy.

17 Mar 2020, Mining Weekly: Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe on Tuesday met with the leadership of the Minerals Council in Johannesburg, to receive an update on the plans that have been put in place for the sector to adequately respond to the current Covid-19 pandemic.

16 Mar 2020, News24: While government gets to grips with the emergence of the coronavirus in South Africa, introducing the closure of multiple trade ports as a preventative measure, industry leaders and organisations met on Monday to strategise and assess the impact of the outbreak.

07 Mar 2020, ENCA: JOHANNESBUEG - The Minerals Council of South Africa says miners are highly vulnerable to infectious diseases.

06 Mar 2020, Mining Technology: Following the first confirmed Covid-19 case in South Africa yesterday, Minerals Council South Africa has set out its planning measures to mitigate the impact of an outbreak on the country’s mining industry. The council said that the special circumstances of the mining sector could make it vulnerable to transmission of the novel coronavirus.

25 Feb 2020, Mining Weekly: To further improve the administration of the State-owned administered compensation system of occupational lung diseases, the Minerals Council South Africa has entered into a three-year partnership, dubbed the co-governance model, with the Medical Bureau for Occupation Disease (MBOD) and the Compensation Commissioner for Occupational Diseases (CCOD).

05 Feb 2020, Mining Weekly: CAPE TOWN (miningweekly.com) – The South African mining industry is making strides in improving its health and safety performance, but more needs to be done on site, as well as off site, to keep employees safe, says the Minerals Council South Africa.

27 Jan 2020, IOL: Fatalities in the South African mining industry fell the most in recorded history, with the sector reporting 51 deadly accidents last year, while deaths in deep-level gold mines were more than halved.

27 Jan 2020, Bizcommunity: There has been a significant reduction in fatalities and injuries in the mining sector, according to the mine health and safety statistics released by the Department of Minerals and Energy.

25 Jan 2020, eNews Channel Africa: Vice President for Minerals Council, Neal Froneman says behaviour, not prices have more influence on the mining industry safety record.

25 Jan 2020, News Afrika: The Minerals Council of South Africa, Dr Sizwe Phakathi says the progress made in regard to mining deaths is extremely positive and however still much to improve.

24 Jan 2020, 702: Minister of Department of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe has released statistics regarding safety performance in the sector.

24 Jan 2020, Mining weekly: The Minerals Council South Africa and senior representatives from member companies today attended the official announcement by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe of the 2019 industry health and safety performance statistics.