One Voice powers Exxaro’s safety journey

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Employees and leaders from across Exxaro came together at the 2026 CEO Safety Summit to strengthen our shared commitment to safety under the theme Powering Safety with One Voice. Over two days, the programme encouraged reflection, leadership accountability, community impact and employee engagement, reinforcing Exxaro’s focus on making safety simpler, clearer and more consistent across the business.

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May 2026

One Voice powers Exxaro’s safety journey

The 2026 CEO Safety Summit reinforced a shared commitment to Zero Harm.

Exxaro’s 2026 CEO Safety Summit brought together leaders and employees from across the business to reflect on our safety journey and strengthen a unified approach towards Zero Harm in One Voice. Hosted over two days, the summit created space not only for important safety conversations, but also for community engagement, leadership reflection and alignment around a shared safety culture across Exxaro.

Day 1 of the summit focused on community engagement through a Market Day hosted by Belfast Mine, dedicated to supporting local entrepreneurs from the eMakhazeni community. The event brought together SMMEs from the area, providing local businesses with an opportunity to showcase their products and engage directly with employees and visitors. From handcrafted goods to locally produced products, the market day highlighted the resilience, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit within Exxaro’s host communities.

The summit then moved into its main programme on Day 2 at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria under the theme Powering Safety with One Voice. The session focused on strengthening alignment across the organisation and reinforcing the importance of speaking, acting and leading with One Voice when it comes to safety. Leaders emphasised that a consistent approach across all operations remains critical in embedding a strong and unified safety culture throughout Exxaro.

The programme opened on a deeply reflective note, honouring colleagues who lost their lives in the line of work and reinforcing the reality of risk within the mining industry. The moment served as a reminder of the responsibility every employee carries to prioritise safe practices every day. Throughout the summit, leaders emphasised that safety extends beyond systems and procedures, requiring leadership accountability, vigilance and consistent behaviours across the organisation.

Why this matters: A consistent safety culture reduces risk, strengthens accountability and helps ensure every employee returns home safely. At the same time, initiatives like Market Day show how sustainability and community empowerment work hand in hand to create long-term impact.

Since Exxaro was listed in 2006, we have improved our LTIFR from 0.42 to 0.04 in 2025, marking our safest year on record. This progress reflects the importance of consistent standards, leadership accountability and a shared commitment to Zero Harm across the organisation.”

CEO, Ben Magara

General Manager of Belfast Mine, Risimati Chauke, reflected on Belfast’s safety journey and the important role leadership continues to play in strengthening safety performance.

Exxaro Board Chairperson Geoffrey Qhena shared personal reflections on vigilance and maintaining safe working practices, while CEO Ben Magara reinforced the importance of consistency, accountability and clear decision making across all operations.

An important leadership transition within the Sustainability function also formed part of the programme, as Mongezi Veti formally handed over responsibilities to Neo Monareng as Executive Head for Sustainability. The transition reflected continuity within Exxaro’s long term sustainability and safety agenda ahead of Mongezi’s retirement in July.