Sowetan reports that according to the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the death on Thursday of Thomas Maluleke in a fall of ground incident at Modikwa Platinum Mine in Limpopo brought to 11 the total number of fatalities at the mine between 2003 and this year.  

The union’s north-east regional secretary, Phillip Mankge, now wants action taken against the company, situated outside Burgersfort.  “We’re shocked and disappointed that another mineworker has lost his life at Modikwa,” he said on Sunday, adding that one death was one too many and that the union would call on the Department of Mineral Resources to implement the Mine Health and Safety Act to its fullest.  It is the union’s view that drastic action is needed to compel the mining industry to comply with safety standards and procedures.  Mankge claimed that the area where Maluleke had died was not safe for mining and that identification of hazards had not been done before Maluleke entered the area.  “It is still unclear why he was allowed to enter under those dangerous circumstances,” he said.

• Read the full original of Frank Maponya’s report on this story on page 10 of Sowetan of 1 April 2019

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