013News reports that Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza has committed to the building of 1,000 RDP houses for the Louisville mining community living near the Barberton Lily Mine in an effort to create opportunities for employment.
The houses would be built by the local people in the period up until 2019 and would serve as a start-up for the community estimated to be around 6,000 families, who had previously relied mainly on working at the local mines. Mabuza visited the area on Thursday and held a two hour-long meeting with the local community members, where he expressed dissatisfaction about the lack of government services and economic activities. He learnt about the plight of the Louisville community after visiting the area following the mine accident last year, which left three workers trapped underground when a shaft collapsed. Mabuza also wants the local people to pave the local roads and do maintenance of the available and dilapidated infrastructure. “We definitely want the mine to open for operations, but at the same time we are committed to changing the lives of the people,” said Mabuza.
- Read this report by Zibonele Mncwango, who is Premier Mabuza’s spoksman, at 013News
- See too, Lily Mine will be re-opened, says Mpuma Premier, at SABC News
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