Aquarius Platinum is to meet with representatives from the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) to resolve what the company describes as misunderstandings over a government safety audit.

Earlier this week the company said its Marikana and Everest mines had been approved by the DME as part of the nationwide presidential safety audit of the South African mining sector.

This in turn prompted a response from the DME stating that it had given no such clearance to the company's operations and announcing that "there is really no basis for companies to be claiming clean bills of health at this point".

Now, Aquarius Platinum has indicated that meetings have been scheduled with the mine safety inspectorate of the DME to "resolve the misunderstandings" which have surrounded the safety audit, Mining Weekly reports.

A statement from Aquarius Platinum said: "The company is profoundly perturbed that its reporting last week of the auditing of the company's operations has given rise to public divisions between the company, the DME, the NUM and Solidarity, and is resolved to repair these divisions in good faith and as a matter of urgency in the interests both of safety and constructive relationships going forward."

News of developments over Aquarius Platinum's audit comes as the Solidarity trade union yesterday claimed that because unions had not been involved in the process the audit was invalid.

Source:

Aquarius to meet DME over safety audit ‘misunderstanding', 15/01/08
http://www.miningweekly.co.za/article.php?a_id=124494

Aquarius Platinum must stop playing audit games, says Solidarity, 14/01/08
http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page1639?oid=185251&sn=Detail

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