By OBAKENG MAJE
8 March 2026- The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) said it continues to demand that the immediate and overriding priority for the shareholders and the leadership of Ekapa Mining, a diamond mine operating in Kimberley, Northern Cape to do everything humanly possible to retrieve the bodies of the workers who were trapped underground following the recent mudslide. NUMSA said it is deeply dismayed by the liquidation announcement by Ekapa Mining.
NUMSA General Secretary, Irvin Jim said this decision comes before the retrieval of the bodies of the five workers who remain trapped underground. Jim said such an action is profoundly insensitive to the grieving families of the deceased and demonstrates a callous disregard for the broader workforce of approximately 1200 employees whose livelihoods now hang in the balance.
“The union regards this announcement as an inhumane and reckless attack on workers. The decision to pursue liquidation was taken without meaningful engagement with NUMSA or with the government.
“This is particularly disturbing given the existing hardships faced by workers at Ekapa Mining. Over 300 workers have already been subjected to layoffs, and for the past five months workers of Ekapa Mining have not received their salaries,” he said.
Jim further said workers did not receive their February 2026 salaries, which were due on 25 February 2026. He added that the families of the trapped workers, who are now presumed deceased, have not received any financial support from the company during this devastating period.
“NUMSA notes with serious concern that Ekapa Mining has applied for an interim liquidation order on an ex parte basis. It is the union’s considered position that Business Rescue proceedings would be a far more appropriate and responsible mechanism to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders, particularly workers.
“NUMSA has formally engaged the company’s legal representatives, proposing that Ekapa opt for Business Rescue instead of liquidation. Unfortunately, this proposal was rejected,” said Jim.
He said despite this rejection, NUMSA is continuing to engage with relevant stakeholders and is exploring all legal avenues available to protect its members at Ekapa, inclusive of the families of the five workers who are now presumed deceased, to ensure that fairness prevails and that workers are not left destitute. Jim said they reserve their rights and the rights of their members in terms of the law and they may have no option, but to initiate Business Rescue proceedings itself in the best interests of job security of all workers at Ekapa.
On Wednesday, the Northern Cape High Court sitting in Kimberley, gave the mine an order to a provisional liquidation pending a final decision on 17 April 2026.
The Northern Cape Premier, Dr Zamani Saul said: “The provision liquidation decision is a serious setback. It is a tragedy on top of a tragedy. We are now sitting with five workers trapped in the mud in a shaft at the mine.
“We are also having 1100 workers who have been thrown in the streets, unemployed. They do not know where their next meal will come from, which means this is a tragedy on top of another tragedy.”
Saul said his government will give each miner a R3000 voucher and R10 000 each to the families of trapped miners.
The Guardian 