"The mining industry is losing about R300 million [about US$42 million] a day as a result of the shutdown," said Mike Schussler, a leading South African economist. He warned that the stoppage had already begun to slow the economy, which would have a long-term impact on government's goal to halve unemployment and poverty by 2014.
The mines were forced to cease operating when the country's power utility, Eskom - still unable to keep up with demand after two weeks of nationwide rolling blackouts - asked its industrial customers to cut their power consumption by 10 percent.
