JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) on Thursday marched to the Department of Mineral Resources to demand that the Lily mine rescue mission be resumed and the container recovered.
The gold mine, in Barberton, was temporarily closed after a shaft collapsed on February 5, leaving three employees – Solomon Nyerende, Pretty Nkambule and Yvonne Mnisi – trapped in a container.
Noting that the fall-of-ground should be “declared a disaster”, AMCU called on government to tap from its disaster fund and finance the recovery of the container.
“[Mineral Resources] Minister Joseph Zwane should live up to his word and pay the families R200 000 and survivors R50 000 like promised, as many of them are left destitute without an income since February,” the union said in its list of demands.
AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa and general secretary Jeff Mphahlele on Thursday urged members of the public to join the union in its quest to “conscientise” and call on the government to take responsibility.