MARAMPA MOVES TO SUSPEND OPERATIONS

Marampa says it has submitted notice of a temporary suspension of operations to the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources, citing difficult market conditions, high freight and operating costs, and continuing operational challenges.
In a business update to employees dated 22 October, management said the decision was intended to protect the company’s future while it works towards a more sustainable operating structure.
The notice signals preparations for a shutdown, rather than confirmation that production has already stopped. The company said the timing of any production changes would depend on regulatory requirements and site readiness.
No firm shutdown date or timetable for resuming production was provided.
Marampa said it would retain the minimum staff needed on site to protect its licence to operate, maintain essential services and care for its assets during the suspension.
Safety, security, essential power, tailings and water management, environmental protection and necessary maintenance would continue.
“We aim to keep the mine ready for a return to production when market conditions improve,” management said, adding that a restart would require an appropriate operating structure and a cost base that supports profitable, sustainable operations.
Management is preparing a controlled shutdown-readiness plan setting out how activities would stop safely, which work would continue, and the staffing and working arrangements required.
The company also warned that high fuel costs were constraining its ability to collect additional supplies. Employees were instructed to conserve available fuel and materials to keep essential services running.
The suspension preparations come as Marampa continues an organisational restructuring under its “Marampa Reset” programme, which management outlined in a September business update.
The company did not disclose how many employees would be affected, how many would remain on site, or what working arrangements would apply to other staff during the suspension.
It said employees directly affected by the restructuring would receive information through their heads of department and Human Resources.
“These are difficult decisions, and we recognise their impact on employees and their families,” management said.
Until further instructions are issued, employees have been told to continue their assigned duties and rosters. Further communication and departmental briefings are expected once the shutdown-readiness plan has been agreed.
Management urged staff to remain calm, avoid speculation and follow safety procedures, stressing that cost reductions must not come at the expense of safety or obligations to employees, communities and the Government.