The impact of ArcelorMittal SA winding down operations at its Saldanha steel plant early in 2020 will be catastrophic for the region, about 100km north of Cape Town. An estimated 900 workers will be left jobless by the end of the first quarter of 2020 as the factory scales back production from its current 1.2-million tons of steel each year to none. The West Coast Chamber of Business has called for a meeting with stakeholders in the steel industry, warning about the impact of the closure. Shanah Damonse, chairperson of the chamber, said it would be catastrophic. "No one can afford more unemployment," she said.