JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) –  Anglo American and De Beers on Monday announced additional donations of $2-million to South Africa’s Solidarity Fund, which addresses the impacts of Covid-19, and $1-million to the Oppenheimer family’s South African Future Trust, established to support small and medium-sized businesses through the crisis.

These additional donations were in recognition of particular hardships in South Africa and formed part of Anglo’s additional areas for monetary and in-kind support as conditions evolved.

They build on the $25-million value of its Covid-19 global relief donations and in-kind contributions to date across Southern Africa, the Americas, Australia and the UK.

Anglo American CE Mark Cutifani said in a news release to Mining Weekly that the company’s wide-ranging Covid-19 relief efforts were directed at where support was most needed, which was very often in the area of basic services at the local community level in remote areas around its mines.

London- and Johannesburg-listed mining Anglo American also recognised the extraordinary work of so many major charitable and aid organisations and its employees were requesting how best they could contribute financially, beyond the work that so many were already doing, he added. The Anglo American Foundation had thus set up a global programme to match employees’ personal donations – up to an initial aggregate value of $1-million, giving a total matched value of $2-million – to a number of local and global organisations.

In the same spirit, the company's board of directors and group management committee members had agreed to donate 30% of their fees or salaries for three months to their personal choice of Covid-19-related charities or funds.

“We all applaud the heroic and selfless efforts of so many people – within our company and far beyond – to help others in times of human crisis. We are all endeavouring to play our part to address the health issues and hardships caused by the pandemic, but also to make sure our people are safe and our business is ready to support the economic recovery phase that will be so crucial in so many countries,” he said.

A wide range of essential services were continuing to be provided in many communities, focused in those countries where the group operates, while also responding directly with additional support to help alleviate the health and economic effects of Covid-19.

Beyond the company’s breadth of support initiatives, its employees, directors and executive management were also contributing through personal donations to numerous charities and aid organisations.