Johannesburg - Miners and mine bosses must urgently resolve their disputes which are undermining the economy, President Jacob Zuma said on Monday.
"We ... wish to urge the workers and their employers to find solutions to the dispute without further delay, given its ongoing impact on the economy," he told Cosatu's 11th national congress in Midrand.
Zuma warned that South Africa could not afford to go into recession.
"We cannot afford to go into a recession, and revert to the 2008 and 2009 period where the country lost close to a million jobs, which we are still battling to recover."
The gold and platinum sector had lost almost R4.5bn in production in the past nine months due to work stoppages, he said.
The coal sector had lost R118m in this period.
"The National Treasury estimates that through its indirect impact on the economy, the strike actions in addition to other stoppages have subtracted close to R3.1bn already from the national fiscus," Zuma said.
The manufacturing sector was also showing strain.
He said government would continue to help the mining negotiations through the department of labour.
"We ... wish to urge the workers and their employers to find solutions to the dispute without further delay, given its ongoing impact on the economy," he told Cosatu's 11th national congress in Midrand.
Zuma warned that South Africa could not afford to go into recession.
"We cannot afford to go into a recession, and revert to the 2008 and 2009 period where the country lost close to a million jobs, which we are still battling to recover."
The gold and platinum sector had lost almost R4.5bn in production in the past nine months due to work stoppages, he said.
The coal sector had lost R118m in this period.
"The National Treasury estimates that through its indirect impact on the economy, the strike actions in addition to other stoppages have subtracted close to R3.1bn already from the national fiscus," Zuma said.
The manufacturing sector was also showing strain.
He said government would continue to help the mining negotiations through the department of labour.
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