ANA reports that the Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources, Mr Sahlulele Luzipo, and the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Land and Mineral Resources, Mr Olifile Sefako, said on Monday that mining deaths in SA have reached crisis proportions.  

This followed the latest incident which saw six miners killed at Palabora Mining’s copper mine in Limpopo.  “The issue of mine health and safety has long reached crisis proportions and requires desperate intervention.  The Department of Mineral Resources must urgently draft legislation that will hold mine bosses and managers accountable for any life lost on duty,” the chairpersons indicated in a joint statement.  Luzipo noted that it was “highly abnormal” that 18 people have been killed in three mining accidents in three months.  The committees have written to the mining minister to request a status update on the Mine and Safety Amendment Bill, adding it was now an “urgent piece of legislation”.  They have also called for written submissions from organised labour on how to improve mine health and safety standards.

• Read this report in full at The Citizen
• Read the joint statement from the two parliamentary committees at Parliament Online

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