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Moneyweb reports that it’s been nearly six years since a support pillar at Vantage Goldfields’ Lily Mine in Mpumalanga collapsed, talking the lives of Solomon Nyirenda, Yvonne Mnisi and Pretty Nkambule. The company subsequently placed the Lily Mine in business rescue.
The bodies of the three workers remain buried underground at the site. All this time the families have been waiting for the mine to reopen so they can claim the remains of their loved ones. In February this year it seemed the long wait was over, when it was announced that Macquarie Metals would come to the rescue of Vantage Goldfields, which owns both the Barbrook and Lily mines. Vantage CEO Mike McChesney said Macquarie Metals would settle the R212 million owed to creditors and recommence mining operations by July this year. The first order of business would be to sink a decline shaft and retrieve the bodies of the deceased workers. The plan was approved by the business rescue practitioners (BRPs). But, Arqomanzi, which is a (disputed) creditor making a hostile bid for the assets of Vantage Goldfields, was successful in interdicting the BRPs from implementing their plans. At this point, it is unclear when mining operations will recommence. Earlier this month, Arqomanzi claimed that it had uncovered fraud relating to a letter of funding put up by Macquarie Metals shareholder Africa Pacific Capital. According to Arqomanzi, had it not been for this “fake” letter being used to mislead the courts, the mines would be operational by now and the recovery of the container with the bodies of the deceased workers would have been well underway. The next court date in a long succession of applications and hearings relating to the mines has been set down for 18 November.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ciaran Ryan at Moneyweb
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