SIBANYE-Stillwater said yesterday that it had vaccinated more than 10 000 of its employees – around 12 percent of the South African workforce – since June 25, testing and validating the efficacy of its vaccination procedures and processes.
Sibanye said following the success of the initial phase, the vaccine programme was being extended to another four group health-care facilities in Gauteng, North West and the Free State with the capacity to administer 2 500 vaccines per day, which was sufficient based on the number of vaccines it was currently receiving.
Sibanye said subject to Department of Health approvals and the availability of additional vaccines, it was prepared to accelerate the roll-out to its more than 80 000 South African workforce, their dependants and doorstep community members.
Sibanye’s chief executive, Neal Froneman, said preparations for the vaccine roll-out programme began well before Department of Health accreditation, including training health-care employees, acquiring suitable vaccine refrigeration and preparing and implementing appropriate protocols.
“As we have previously said, we fully endorse the national vaccination roll-out,” said Froneman.
Meanwhile, Royal Bafokeng (RBPlat) said it had commenced the vaccination roll-out of its employees at its Maseve Clinic in Rustenburg.
RBPlat said it planned to roll out the vaccine to around 10 000 employees and permanent contractors, in line with the government-approved age categories.
“We’re targeting at least 200 employees a day, and will review this number,” said the company, adding the Maseve Clinic was identified as a suitable RBPlat vaccination site and refurbished at a cost of R1 million.
RBPlat said earlier yesterday that it expected its headline earnings to surge by as much as 452 percent in the half year ended June 2021, as it benefited from the favourable platinum group metals (PGM) price environment.
RBPlat, the JSE-listed mid-tier PGM producer, said in addition to the strong metal prices, higher production and sales volumes, improved PGM prices, the stronger rand dollar exchange rate and other items, including the partial buy-back of convertible bonds and deferred tax credit, contributed to the bumper earnings.
The company said headline earnings a share would increase by up to 1 850 a cents a share, compared to 335.5 cents a share a year earlier.
The group said basic earnings a share would increase by up to 450 percent to 1 860 cents a share compared with 338 cents a year earlier.
BUSINESS REPORT