BARBERTON – A number of Lily Gold Mine workers in Barberton in Mpumalanga have taken voluntary severance packages and left the mine, according to the mining company.

Lily Mine director of operations Mike Begg told the African News Agency (ANA) that the company was still under business rescue administration.

“Some of the workers took severance packages and left but there are many others who are still here,” he said.

Begg did not reveal the number of workers who had taken severance packages. He said no efforts were currently being made to retrieve the bodies of Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Nkambule and Solomon Nyerende from underground. The three were trapped underground in February when the lamproom container they were working in fell into a massive sinkhole created by a collapsed crown pillar.

Rescue operations were launched in February 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.

“The workers have still not been paid [their outstanding salaries for April and May]. The remaining workers and all of us are still hoping to find funding. The survival of the company will also be determined by the business rescue administration,” said Begg.

A Canadian gold mining company Afro Can Resources pledged to provide funding but failed to meet its commitments, he said.

The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) and its affiliate the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) marched to Lily Mine on June 12 and demanded that management prioritise the recovery of the three workers and pay the other workers their outstanding salaries. Cosatu also wanted government to establish a commission of inquiry into the Lily Mine disaster.

Cosatu Mpumalanga secretary Vincent Mlambo said on Sunday Lily Mine “did not do enough” in its efforts to recover the bodies of the three workers.

“They only tried to rescue those workers twice. We have seen rescue operations in other mining companies being carried out for more than 24 hours,” he said.

Mlambo and Mpumalanga NUM northeast regional secretary Phillip Mange said they were not aware that some Lily Mine workers had taken voluntary severance packages.