Mining companies say they are well placed to support the Covid-19 response thanks to decades of experience combatting tuberculosis and HIV/Aids among workers, including the creation of on-site treatment facilities.
The government has called on the private sector, including miners, to help with the rollout of vaccines but has not yet outlined exactly how it should assist. President Cyril Ramaphosa this week said 20 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been secured as the country battles infections which reached a peak of more than 21 000 a day last week, taking total cases to nearly 1.3 million, the most on the African continent.With around 233 Covid-19 deaths in the mining industry, according to Minerals Council statistics, unions have called on mining firms to help pay for vaccines.