Rio Tinto halts mining because of violence in South Africa

SMM12, April 4: Rio Tinto Group stops mining at the Richards Bay ore plant in South Africa. The main reason is the escalation of violence in surrounding communities, resulting in injuries to employees.

The smelter in KwaZulu Natal province is being scaled back and its $463 million expansion project has been temporarily suspended.

The company said it currently expects production in 2019 to be at the low end of the 120-1.4 million tonne guidance range. Rio is in contact with customers to minimize disruptions.

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