'Pityana wants to Save SA, but can't save jobs at AngloGlold Ashanti'

Save SA convenor Sipho Pityana is also AngloGold Ashanti's chairperson. File picture: ANA Pictures

Save SA convenor Sipho Pityana is also AngloGold Ashanti's chairperson. File picture: ANA Pictures

Published Jul 4, 2017

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Johannesburg - The Young Communist League (YCL) in the North West province has come out very strongly against AngloGold Ashanti's chairperson, Sipho Pityana, over the impending loss of thousands of jobs, saying that the leader of Save SA had failed to save jobs at the miner. 

"The self-proclaimed messiah who wants to Save SA but failing to save job losses in AngloGold Sipho Pityana must be confronted with a reality that he failed in his duties as the chairperson of AngloGold Ashanti board and ensure that there are no job losses occurring under his watch," the YCL said in statement.

"Under his leadership, the company has been lacking in full compliance with the Mining Charter. Whilst he is enjoying tea and biscuits with the likes of Nozipho January-Bardill and Dave Hodgson, their social, ethics and sustainable development [committee] should never be reduced to skepsells mentality committees. The communities around AngloGold [have] been inhaling dust with no real benefits from the mines."

This comes as AngloGold Ashanti announced last week that it had started a consultation process with employees to retrench 8,500 workers at its South African operations. The miner's South African operations, employs about 28,000 people, including contractors.

AngloGold Ashanti said it wants to place on care and maintenance the Kopanang mine in the Vaal River region, and the Savuka section of the TauTona mine, in the West Wits Region. Savuka has been in operation for 59 years, and has already been extended 10 years beyond its natural life. Kopanang Mine produced its first gold in 1981, 36 years ago.

The YCL condemned as brutality against workers the plans by AngloGold Ashanti to retrench over 8 000 employees, saying that the miner wanted to subject workers into poverty.

The YCL said it wanted to remind the board members of AngloGold that any retrenchments of over 10 percent of company employees are not only subjected  to section 189, but an outspread consultation through Section 52 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) with Department of Mineral Resources.   

"Our expectations from AngloGold are nothing but the development of communities which creation of jobs is one of that," the YCL said. 

"The planned retrenchment is aimed at maximising profits for the shareholders at the expense of the poor and working class. That blood sucking capitalist tendencies will at all times be rejected by YCL in Moses Kotane."

African News Agency

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