JOHANNESBURG – The Association of Construction and Mineworkers Union (AMCU) and Lily mine management on Thursday dismissed allegations leveled against them by the National Union Mineworkers (NUM), which complained that it has been denied access to the site of the collapsed mine in Barberton, Mpumalanga.
On Wednesday, NUM said it believed mine management was collaborating with AMCU to distort information about the fall of ground. The union also alleged that the collaboration was aimed at derailing its legacy on health and safety issues.
The comments came after a failed attempt by NUM officials, including deputy president Joseph Montisetsi, to visit the site of the mine collapse in Barberton on Tuesday. They were allegedly denied access to the mine and could not meet mine management, but they were able to address affected families.
AMCU’s spokesperson, Manzini Zungu, on Thursday said his union “won’t bother” responding in detail to “stupid” allegations made by NUM.
“NUM doesn’t even have members at Lily mine. When they say we are collaborating with mine management to hide the truth I don’t know what they mean. We have asked for an investigation to be conducted. We are not running the mine, but we merely have members who are employed there,” Zungu said.
The spokesman said AMCU had nothing to hide as its officials have been transparent with the rescue operation since the accident happened more than a month ago.
Three workers – Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Mabuza and Solomon Nyarenda – have been trapped underground since February 5 when the container they were working in at Vantage Goldfields Lily Mine in Barberton, Mpumalanga, fell into a sinkhole created by a collapsed crown pillar and was covered by huge rocks.
Rescue efforts have so far failed to reach the container.
“We made our own suggestions, but we were told they were expensive. The Department of Mineral Resources has inspectors and some independent experts at the mine, so I don’t know what NUM wants from us,” Zungu said.
Lily mine spokesperson Coetzee Zietsman said the simple reason why NUM was denied access to the mine was that the union had no constituency at the mine.
“NUM is not a majority union here. Plus, the people they wanted to talk to have all gone home for holidays, so we couldn’t allow them inside the mine premises,” Zietsman said.
Zietsman also denied that the meeting between Lily mine management and NUM had been pre-arranged and confirmed.