With gold prices surging to seven-year highs, it is seemingly a good time to be in the industry. In South Africa, however, the recovery has coincided with, and is being tainted by, a surge in so-called ‘gold raids’, characterised by heavily armed intruders targeting mining companies and smelt houses, holding staff hostage and making off with concentrate and smelted gold. The attacks are largely driven by organised criminal groups, Minerals Council South Africa spokesperson Charmane Russell tells Engineering News & Mining Weekly. A problem exacerbated by rising gold prices.
