Chief executive is undergoing treatment

Platinum miner Lonmin, facing a strained balance sheet, a shortfall in production and lost revenue after a violent strike that left 44 dead, has appointed its chief financial officer as acting chief executive.

The South Africa-focused company, the third-largest in the sector, said Simon Scott would take the helm while chief executive Ian Farmer pursues a course of treatment for an unspecified illness.

Lonmin said it would be “some months” before Farmer would return to work full time.