Customers of Impala Platinum (Implats) had agreed to receive less metal from this month because of the three-month strike, the world’s second-largest platinum producer has said.
All Implats’s Rustenburg operations have been closed and it is operating at 40 percent of capacity because only its mines in Limpopo and Zimbabwe are running.
Implats spokesman Johan Theron said international customers would be more affected as it continued to prioritise South African customers in an effort to preserve jobs.
“We work closely with each customer, taking account of immediate metal needs and ability to source metal elsewhere. In making as much metal available as we can, they have agreed to accept lower deliveries for the strike’s duration”.
The world’s biggest producer, Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), was able to meet its obligations, a spokesperson said on Friday.
Lonmin spokeswoman Sue Vey said it had to indicate to customers that there might be delays in supply. “They understand our position.”
Implats and Amplats previously declared force majeure with supply contractors as a result of the strike. – Dineo Faku