Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. is seeking tenders to build a tailings or waste storage facility at its Marula platinum mine in Limpopo, South Africa, Reuters reported May 11, citing a newspaper ad from the company.
According to the ad, bidders are required to use 100% unskilled local labor and must maximize the use of local subcontractors.
Limpopo has seen social unrest stemming from poverty and joblessness in local communities, with more than 400 incidents disrupting mining operations since 2016, the newswire added. A little over a year ago, Implats flagged over 1,000 job cuts at Marula due to protests and low metal prices exacerbating the situation at the time.
In March, Implats noted Marula's "strong operational turnaround" in the first half of its fiscal 2018, after a restructuring process that saw the redundancy of about 800 workers.