South Africa’s gold and platinum mines started restoring production on Tuesday after Eskom, the state-owned power utility, agreed to allot the mines 90 per cent of their normal supply of electricity.
Miners like AngloGold Ashanti and Anglo Platinum will begin ramping up production gradually in their underground mines, five days after Eskom cut their power supply in half in response to a nationwide energy crisis.
A return to full production, however, might not be reached until next week.
Eskom’s decision, reached at a meeting with mining companies in Johannesburg, marks a win for South African big business at the expense of the country’s households and smaller enterprises.
