Mbombela - The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) has requested the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to investigate the Lily Gold Mine, in Barberton, disaster in which three mineworkers died, the federation in the province said on Tuesday.
“Our view is that the rights of the workers and certain legislations were violated at that mine,” Cosatu in Mpumalanga, chairman Life Monini said.
Lily mine workers Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Nkambule and Solomon Nyerende were trapped underground in February when a lamproom container they were working in fell into a sinkhole created by a collapsed crown pillar.
Rescue operations were launched the same month in an attempt to recover the bodies of the three workers, but later aborted as the mine was declared unsafe.
Lily mine, which is owned by Vantage Goldfields, subsequently applied to be placed under business rescue administration.
Monini told the African News Agency (ANA) that Cosatu believed Lily mine violated the Mining Charter and other pieces of legislation by “placing the container in mouth of the shaft”.
“That container should have been placed some metres away from the shaft,” he said.
“Those three miners had rights in terms of the Constitution but they were made to work inside that container. When you die or get injured at work, the company you work for must take responsibility. Somebody must account because that incident could have been avoided.”
Mpumalanga provincial manager of the SAHRC Eric Mokonyama confirmed that the commission met with Cosatu and discussed various matters including the general working conditions at the mine. “We met with Cosatu but they [Cosatu] did not ask us to investigate the disaster,” said Mokonyama.
“We also wrote to the Lily mine management asking for a meeting with them, but they said they did not want to compromise the business rescue processes. We still want to meet with them [Lily mine management] and be briefed about the situation at the mine so that we can decide on what to do.”
Business rescue practitioner at Lily mine Rob Devereux dismissed Cosatu's claims, saying it was common practice to have a lamproom in the vicinity of the mine.
He said Lily Mine has not received a request for a meeting from the SAHRC. “Cosatu is not a recognised union at Lily mine,” said Devereux.
“An internal investigation into the safety of the mine is underway. This disaster is very complex and requires a lot of assessment,” said Devereux.
African News Agency