Richards Bay Minerals forced to close

RICHARDS Bay Minerals, which is run by Rio Tinto, has been closed since Friday because of violent community protests in which a security guard was killed earlier this week, the company and a union said yesterday.

“Due to the escalation in activity around the blockades on the access roads, staff were sent home on Friday. Our highest priority is the safety of our people,” a Rio spokesperson said.

Mzi Zakwe, the regional secretary for the National Union of Mineworkers, told Reuters the union’s 900 members were on forced leave because of the violence, which he said was rooted in grievances between the company and contractors.

Unrest has hit the area before, which is near South Africa’s main coal terminal.