This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
The Citizen reports that one of the two illegal miners (zama zamas) who up until now have been the only known survivors of a massive underground explosion at the Harmony Gold mine in the Free State in May, claims he has unearthed the truth behind the cause of the fatal blast.
On 18 May, a methane gas explosion in at a decommissioned mining shaft in Virginia, near Welkom, was cited as the cause of the tragic death of at least 31 Lesotho illegal miners. The zama zama however claims that a viral video, as well as the accounts of witnesses, points to “security personnel from Harmony Gold mine dropping bombs into the shaft”. The video shows three vehicles driving away from the decommissioned mine shaft where the explosion occurred. “There were vehicles belonging to the mine bosses – as soon as they left there was smoke and an explosion. The people who were nearer called and told us they think the boss poured something in the mine. They then took pictures of the cars. We heard what happened from the people who live closer to the mine,” the blast survivor alleged. Harmony Gold spokesperson Moeketsi Manoeli refuted the allegation, labelling it “very irresponsible”. He said: “Any mining company has lots of security that patrols and monitors on sites. We preach responsible stewardship as one of our strategic pillars. For us to act in such an unethical manner is unheard of so we think it’s very irresponsible for people to make such allegations against us.” The bodies of at least 28 bodies of the illegal Lesotho miners have not yet been retrieved.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Cornelia Le Roux at The Citizen
- Watch, Survivor recalls Virginia zama zama tragedy, at EWN
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page