By: Reuters

Impala Platinum IMPJ.J has suspended mining at its Rustenburg operations in South Africa while it conducts a comprehensive safety reset following recent injuries and fatalities, it said on Monday.

An Impala spokesperson said the group had recorded four fatal injuries in the financial year ended June 30 and an additional two deaths involving underground locomotive accidents in July.

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union said in a separate statement that seven workers had died at Impala's Rustenburg operations since the beginning of 2026.

The temporary suspension will affect platinum group metal (PGM) production from Impala Rustenburg for about eight days, the company said in a statement.

With annual production of about 3.5 million ounces, Impala is one of the world's largest PGM producers. Alongside South African peer Valterra Platinum VALJ.J and Russia's Norilsk, it has significant influence on the global supply of platinum, palladium and rhodium, metals used in autocatalysts that curb vehicle emissions.

Impala said it would conduct comprehensive workplace inspections and audits as well as targeted training for its underground locomotive operators and rail-bound workers, among other safety initiatives.

The Impala Rustenburg operations employ about 51,500 workers across mining and processing operations and are forecast to produce between 1.67 million and 1.76 million ounces of PGMs in the year to June 2027, roughly half of projected group output.

The actual impact on production will be assessed following the suspension, the company said.

(Reporting by Nelson BanyaEditing by David Goodman and Joe Bavier)