City Press reports that the HR general manager at Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) in northern KwaZulu-Natal was gunned down last week in the latest in a series of shocking developments at the troubled Rio Tinto mine.  

On Tuesday night, Ronny Nzimande was shot several times as he parked his car in the driveway of his home in KwaMbonambi.  He joined RBM, which has been plagued by ongoing community protests over jobs and contract opportunities, in January 2015.  His murder follows those of community activist and local youth leader Thokozani Mbika and his cousin Ndoda Mbika on 31 July – as well as a series of increasingly violent protests by residents in the Mbuyazi and Sokhulu tribal authorities.  

Meantime, five RBM staff members – including Fundi Dlamini, the general manager for community and corporate relations – have been suspended, pending an internal investigation into alleged violations of the company’s code of conduct.  Dlamini has been at the forefront of trying to resolve the latest wave of community protests.

• Read this report by Paddy Harper in full at City Press

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