Heavy rains affect Tumela mine at the Amandelbult Complex
Heavy rains in the northern part of South Africa over the past week have caused widespread flooding in the region, including at Anglo American Platinum’s Amandelbult Complex.
The significant rainfall and the overflow of the nearby river systems, compounded by the collapse of the Bierspruit dam near Swartklip on Thursday 20 February caused water ingress at Tumela mine, which overwhelmed pumping capacity, flooding certain of the underground workings and the main pump station. While surface flooding in and around the Amandelbult Complex temporarily affected access to the operation, the main Dishaba mine, the concentrator and other infrastructure are largely unaffected. The successful implementation of the emergency preparedness plans, including the temporary suspension of all operations at the Amandelbult Complex on Thursday 20 February, ensured the safe evacuation of all employees and contractors.
Operations at the Amandelbult Complex, except for the Tumela mine, restarted on 24 February. A detailed impact assessment and recovery plan to ensure safe production at Tumela mine is under way. Preliminary indications are that the 2025 metal-in-concentrate (M&C) production guidance of 3.0 million to 3.4 million PGM ounces is not expected to be impacted. Tumela mine contributes approximately 10% to the total monthly M&C production.
