Anglo boss urges tough line to halt mine unrest

According to BDlive, Anglo American CE Cynthia Carroll says in her first public comments on the strikes that the mining sector will remain in turmoil until the government takes a firm stance to ensure that normality returns.

She added that the labour unrest could not have come at a worse time for the platinum industry, and it would take a fresh and collaborative approach by all mining companies to resolve underlying causes.

Ms Carroll was in South Africa last week for a series of high-level meetings with government ministers and officials to impress on them the damage the unrest is doing to South Africa's image among investors abroad, and to make the point that "law and order" had to take priority. After meeting Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu, Ms Carroll said the two ministers understood the seriousness of the damage being done.

Of the world's biggest diversified mining companies, BDlive reports, Anglo has the greatest exposure to South Africa. Two of its key operations in South Africa - Anglo American Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore - have been hit by the strikes flaring since August, leading to billions of rand in revenue losses. Thousands of jobs have also been cut. "What we are looking for right now, the starting point, and what we've been really reinforcing in our meetings with the government, is law and order. It starts with law and order," Ms Carroll said.

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