South Africa’s AngloGold vowed to fight the Aids epidemic
threatening its workforce and rejected criticism that the industry
is putting profits before lives.
AngloGold, the world’s second-biggest gold producer, is the
latest South African mine firm to highlight the threat posed by the
disease to the industry, which has been accused by unions and
activists of ignoring the impact on its 400 000 workers.
At least a quarter of AngloGold’s 44 000 workforce is
infected with HIV-Aids, and the company says this adds between $4
and $6 to the cost of producing an ounce of gold. But AngloGold
spokesperson Steve Lenahan denied that the company put
‘profits before people’s lives.
“We have a state-of-the-art hospital here and an HIV-Aids
programme that is one of the best in the cope 600 x 400 jaw crusher drawinguntry,” he said on
a visit to a company mining complex in Carletonville, west of
Johannesburg.
“AngloGold is acutely aware of the scale of the HIV-Aids
epidemic and its likely impact, today and in the future,”
Chief Executive Bobby Godsell said in a statement.
It was also involved in research to develop an HIV vaccine,
promoting condom use and offering counselling, treatment and a
retirement system for those no longer able to work.
But the 250 000-strong National Union of Mineworkecrushing equipment hydraulic cone crusherrs (NUM) and
analysts have long criticised the industry for doing too little too
late and for its lack of a unified approach.
“For the first time we have seen how much effort (AngloGold)
has put into this problem but there is a lot of concern at the lack
of cooperation in the industry,” said one analyst, who did
not want to be named.
Mining is a vital foreign exchange earner for South Africa, but
about 20% of the industry’s 400 000 workers are HIV positive.
HIV leads to full-blown Aused european vertical roller mills suppliersIDS and ultimately death. There is no cure
for the epidemic.
“We estimate that HIV/Aids is currently increasing costs in
the South African operations by between $4 and $6 an ounce, though
there are reasonable prospects of reducing this with the range of
activities that we have in place,” Godsell said. The cost
could rise to $9 an ounce if the company did nothing to manage the
impact of the pandemic.
The market price of gold is currently about $304 an ounce.
South Africa’s second-largest gold miner, Gold Fields,
reckons the disease will add between $4 and $10 an ounce to
production costs at its mines where an estimated 26,5% of its 50
000 workers are infected.
Mining companies across the broad spectrum of precious and base
metals, coal and valuable gems have run Aids awareness programmes
for years, but the prevalence of the disease has still soared,
prompting the industry to take a harder look at how better to
tackle the epidemic on a united front.
Gold mines, with their labour made up of migrant workers living in
single-sex hostels, are particularly hard hit. Workers living far
from their families are more likely to visit prostitutes.
Godsell said AngloGold’s response to the disease –
focused mainly on employee education, treatment, and health
research – would ensure that the company continued to
function profitably.
He said anti-retroviral drugs had a role to play in fighting the
disease, but he would only commit to join the industry and
government in studying “the appropriate application of this
type of therapy”.
AngloGold and other mining companies have to tread carefully around
the controversial and emotive issue of anti-retroviral drugs
– which can prolong a victim’s life if administered at
certain stages of the disease.
The government, led by President Thabo Mbeki who has The government
last week stopped short of acknowledging the link between HIV and
AIDS as a fact, but said it would act on the ‘premise’
that the human immunodeficiency virus caused AIDS.
Analysts say the government’s confusing policy was one reason why
it has taken the mining industry so long to formulate its own plans
to distribute anti-retroviral drugs.
The Chamber of Mines, which represents most big mining companies,
is planning a feasibility study on the distribution of
anti-retroviral drugs.
The study will not consider the efficacy of the drugs, but will
look at the cost and the best way to distribute them to about 80
000 infected miners. – Reuters