Picture: http://www.enca.co.za
By OBAKENG MAJE
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the North West calls on the mining magnate, Patrice Motsepe to ‘shut down’ KalGold mine near Kraaipan indefinitely. This comes after allegations that two mineworkers have tested positive for COVID-19 at KalGold mine which is a subsidiary of Harmony Gold where Motsepe is the owner.
EFF provincial secretary, Papiki Bauile said all mineworkers at KalGold mine should be subjected to mandatory screening and testing. Babuile said they equally call on the North West Department of Health (NWDoH) to also intervene in this matter.
“On Tuesday, we woke up to the sad news that two mineworkers at KalGold mine which is owned by Harmony Gold have registered two cases of COVID-19. According to mineworkers who wished to remain anonymous, the results of mineworkers who tested positive were known since Monday, but no precautionary measures have been taken to protect other mineworkers.
“It is business as usual as the production department and other related departments at the mine are 100% operational. We specifically called on mining houses to stop prioritizing profits at the expense of human life,” he said.
Babuile said just last month, the EFF released a statement cautioning against the re-opening of mines amidst the escalating cases of COVID-19 in the province. He said they have even opened criminal cases against some mining houses in the province.
“We call on Motsepe to close the mine and ensure that all mineworkers are subjected to mandatory screening and testing, but failure to do so, will result in the EFF to visit the mine,” said Babuile.
He added that they have lost hope in the Department of Minerals and Energy (DMR) as they have long taken the decision to favour mining houses instead of workers. Meanwhile, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has come out calling for universal testing of all mineworkers following the rapid spread of the virus in the mining sector.
AMCU president, Joseph Mathunjwa said: “The union is adamant that this is the only way to curb a possible crisis in the sector. Over the past weekend it came to light that a record number of 19 new infections have been found at Impala’s Marula mine in Limpopo. This brings the total number of infections in mining to 32, with one mineworker who has died of the pandemic as of 17 May 2020.
“We have consistently called for proper testing before mineworkers go underground. Screening is not sufficient as it fails to detect those workers who don’t display the known symptoms like high temperatures. We’ve been saying this all along, but the Department of Mineral Resources and the Chamber of Mines [now known as the Minerals Council] would not listen to us.”
National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in North East Regional Secretary, Phillip Mankge said the COVID-19 is a killer virus and the government has directed mines to resume operations at 50% capacity and issued clear guidelines to the mines to adhere to the regulations. Mankge said the NUM is extremely disturbed by the number of cases already confirmed since the mines were allowed to resume operation.
The Guardian 