The underground operations have been placed on care and maintenance with one of two gold processing plants (one with an integrated uranium recovery circuit) still active.
The underground workings were placed on care and maintenance (C&M) during 2017. Current operations comprise the Cooke plant and the Randfontein Surface Operation (RSO), an active tailings mining and retreatment operation. In addition, the Ezulwini gold plant (at No. 4 Shaft) is used as a toll treating facility, catering to both external and internal operations.
The Cooke underground operations have been earmarked for legal closure and rewatering, and various cost-saving initiatives have been implemented to reduce C&M costs, mostly relating to the pumping of water. |