Trade union Solidarity has expressed “utter disgust” at what it alleges was the killing of an electrician by illegal miners at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Cooke plant.
The union says illegal miners on the night of June 6 shot and killed a worker while he was doing normal repair work to power cables.
According to Solidarity, the victim and his colleagues were doing emergency repairs in good faith and posed no threat to the illegal miners.
“He was shot in cold blood. Mining is in itself a high-risk industry and it is now becoming even more dangerous as a result of the presence of illegal miners,” Solidarity strategy and sustainability deputy general secretary Advocate Paul Mardon says.
Responding to Mining Weekly, Sibanye confirmed that a “tragic and unnecessary attack” happened on June 6 at about 19:00.
Solidarity posits that the increase in unsafe conditions for employees in the mining industry can be mainly attributed to the government’s inability to curb illegal mining in South Africa.
“Despite numerous fatal incidents at mines and repeated requests from Solidarity for the government to take deliberate action against the criminals, illegal mining activities have increased in the country and the government has not had any apparent success against them,” Mardon says.
“The role that the government is playing in this regard, be it due to a lack of competence or the absence of a will to intervene in matters, cannot be emphasised strongly enough. These issues are not mere theoretical policy issues. They have tangible consequences and employees can no longer pay with their lives because a careless government is dragging its heels.
“We demand immediate, clear and considerable action. More delaying will not be tolerated,” Mardon emphasises.