Johannesburg - The dismissal of an urgent application by Khulubuse Zuma to have claims of over R1.5 billion against Aurora Empowerment Systems set aside was a victory for workers, trade union Solidarity said on Tuesday.
“We are grateful that the lawsuit can go ahead and that the process wasn’t delayed,” general secretary Gideon du Plessis said in a statement.
“Justice can finally be obtained for the estimated 5300 former Pamodzi employees.”
Pretoria High Court Judge Eberhardt Bertelsmann earlier on Tuesday dismissed the application with costs. He found that Zuma's interests were not directly affected.
Aurora's liquidators want to go to court to hold the company's directors responsible after they allegedly stripped the assets of the liquidated Pamodzi Gold's mines in Springs, Gauteng, and Orkney, North West. The case is due to be heard on March 23.
In 2009, Aurora was appointed by liquidators to manage Pamodzi's mines in Springs and Orkney after the company went bankrupt. Aurora allegedly stripped the mines of infrastructure and left its employees without pay and surviving on handouts.
Sapa