Sibanye announces management restructure

Sibanye is restructuring in anticipation of its entry into the PGM sector © Paul Fleet 123RF.com

In order to ensure the sustained focus on safe, cost-effective delivery of production from its underground mining and surface processing operations as it becomes a multi-commodity business, Sibanye will be restructured into separate, commodity specific divisions focused on operational delivery.

Group services

Sibanye’s group services functions will provide all non-core, production support services required by the different commodity operating divisions, thereby eliminating duplication of support services. The reorganisation will ensure that there is minimal disruption to operating activities and provides that operations management are positioned closer to the mining face, with the aim of promoting operational effectiveness.

Gold and uranium division

Wayne Robinson has been appointed as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the gold and uranium division. The gold and uranium division executive management team supporting him, will largely be consistent with Sibanye’s current gold operational management.

Adam Mutshinya will continue in his role as senior vice president: human capital, with Pieter Henning, formerly vice president: corporate finance, appointed as senior vice president: finance for the division. William Osae, formerly vice president of Driefontein underground operations, has been promoted to senior vice president: technical services.

”I have every confidence that the gold and uranium division’s executive management team will provide the effective leadership needed to maintain the current operational focus and maintain the momentum at the gold and uranium operations. I have no doubt that they will continue to deliver the excellent safety and operating results which underpin Sibanye’s strong cash flow generation on a sustainable basis.” Neal Froneman, CEO of Sibanye, says.

Platinum division

Jean Nel, previously CEO of Aquarius Platinum Limited, was recently appointed CEO of the platinum division, with Bheki Khumalo appointed as senior vice president: human capital and Peter Turner will assume the position of senior vice president: technical services. This follows the appointment of Justin Froneman in 2015 as senior vice president: finance and Shadwick Bessit, previously senior vice president: underground operations, Kloof and Driefontein, as senior vice president: mining.

Energy and coal division

John Wallington has been appointed executive vice president of the energy and coal division and will drive Sibanye’s energy strategy. He has more than 30 years’ experience in various operational and corporate roles in the mining industry with a specific focus on coal. He worked for Anglo American for more than 25 years, ultimately leading the coal division for three years. He has subsequently held a number of leadership positions in the South African mining industry, including CEO of Coal of Africa Limited and Miranda Mineral Holdings Limited before joining Sibanye.

Group executive committee

The Sibanye Group strategy will continue to be driven by a group executive committee, which will to be headed up by the CEO, Neal Froneman.

Existing Sibanye prescribed officers, Charl Keyter (chief financial officer), Dawie Mostert (commercial services), Hartley Dikgale (corporate affairs), Richard Stewart (business development) and Robert van Niekerk (organisational effectiveness), together with the divisional CEOs will comprise the rest of the group executive committee, with a group executive: human capital portfolio expected to be appointed in the near future.

Sibanye’s group executive will be complemented by members of the CEO’s office, which will house key strategic functions including communications (Thabisile Phumo), protection services (Nash Lutchman), investor relations (James Wellsted) and safety, health and environment, which is currently vacant but will be filled in due course.

“The Sibanye group executive assembles an experienced array of relevant mining industry experience, including strong technical capacity to deliver the leadership required for Sibanye to continue on its strategic path, and ensure delivery of superior value to all stakeholders,” Froneman says.

Seamless transition

Sibanye’s revised leadership structures have been established to provide Sibanye with a seamless transition into a multi-commodity business, in particular facilitating the effective integration of the Rustenburg and Aquarius operations into a platinum division.

According to Froneman; “The organisational arrangements will provide for effective management of our operations, particularly with regard to unit cost management, which is critical to prolonging the economic lives of our gold, uranium and platinum assets. We see these developments as central to realisation of our vision, which remains, ‘superior value creation for all of our stakeholders’.”