Goldfields denies it left miner's body to rot

The body of a miner who was crushed by rocks at the Beatrix gold mine at Welkom two weeks ago has not been exhumed, Gold Fields said on Tuesday. "We temporarily suspended the removal of the rocks last week because it was becoming dangerous for the rescue team," said spokesperson Andrew Davidson.

NUM tackles Fifa

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has had enough of the 2010 stadium labour disputes and has now asked Fifa president Sepp Blatter to intervene. There have been a number of strikes over wage disputes by construction workers working on the Green Point stadium in Cape Town, Durban's Moses Mabhida stadium and the Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit.

Blatter lends ear to NUM

Fifa president Sepp Blatter showed his solidarity with the construction workers who are getting 10 stadiums in South Africa ready for the 2010 World Cup. Blatter met with leaders of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Tuesday and said he wanted them to be treated fairly while building and upgrading World Cup venues.

NUM calls for probe after unmarked grave found

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called for police to investigate circumstances surrounding an unmarked grave near a mine clinic in the Northern Cape. Spokesperson Tshepo Motsumi said in a statement that construction workers found the remains of a mineworker on Wednesday near the PrimCure Clinic in Kuruman.

Gold Fields: Job losses not cast in stone

Potential job losses due to the energy crisis are not cast in stone, Gold Fields CEO Ian Cockerill said in a conference call on Monday. Earlier, the mining company announced that 6 900 jobs were at risk because of Eskom's power rationing. "We're working closely with the unions to calculate potential losses. There is nothing cast in stone," Cockerill said.

Gold Fields warns of job losses over power crisis

Gold production for the current third quarter is forecast to decline by between 20% and 25% against the December quarter, Gold Fields said on Monday. This was "as a result of the total suspension of production for one full week due to power constraints, continued power rationing, and the seasonal impact of the Christmas break".

Mine rejects racism claims 'with contempt'

DRDGold has denied claims made by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) that intolerant racist behaviour was being practised at the company's Blyvooruitzicht mine. In a statement released by Cosatu on Tuesday, the union federation alleged that Blyvooruitzicht mine management practised racism towards employees.

New strike hits World Cup venue

Workers at one of the stadiums due to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup have downed tools in the latest pay strike to threaten tight construction deadlines, their union said Wednesday. Work on the Mbombela Stadium outside Nelspruit has been frozen since Monday lunchtime, George Ledwaba of the National Union of Mineworkers said.

Manganese poisoning: Negotiations falter

Attempts to reach an out-of-court settlement between a KwaZulu-Natal ferromanganese factory and its workers over compensation for manganese poisoning foundered on Wednesday. The workers' trade union and attorney accused the company, Assmang, of negotiating in bad faith.

AngloGold forecast down on power cuts

Due to the country's power supply crisis, AngloGold Ashanti expected a reduction of approximately 400 000 ounces of gold in 2008. Diamond, gold and platinum mines in South Africa shut down production for just under a week in late January because of safety considerations.

Mining losses could hit GDP by R5,6bn

South Africa's mining industry could lose up to R9,2-billion in revenue and the country's GDP could take a knock of up to R5,6-billion as a result of the power restrictions imposed on mines by Eskom last week. T-Sec economist Mike Schussler estimates that the mining industry is losing about R330-million in revenues a day.

Power crisis halts SA mines for a second day

A power shortage halted production in South Africa's lucrative mining sector for a second day on Saturday, and mining company officials said they still did not know when they could resume operations. Power cuts described by President Thabo Mbeki's government as a national emergency on Friday stopped production in the world's biggest platinum and number one two gold producer.

Johan Nel a 'young, brainwashed racist'

Racism was still a key issue in South Africa, political party representatives said as they addressed a gathering at Saturday's funeral of the murdered Skielik victims. Congress of South African Trade Unions secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said alleged killer, Johan Nel (18) had "no regard for human life".

Power failures a 'national emergency'

South Africa's rolling power failures are a "national emergency" but economic growth can continue at healthy levels if energy is used more efficiently, Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin said on Friday. "It is clear that we are running our power system at utilisation levels that are overstretching maintanance," Erwin said.

Eskom: SA should expect steeper prices

Embattled South African power utility Eskom warned on Tuesday that current electricity prices were unsustainable and South Africans should expect steeper price increases in the near future. Eskom's statement comes as the country faces a crisis in the wake of national power cuts.

ANC voting: 'So far, so good'

A third day of cool, rainy weather in Polokwane did little to quench the fiery support for the front-runners in the ANC presidential race: Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Voting for the party's top six officials started later than the scheduled time of 6am on Tuesday morning due to computer-related delays.

ANC voting starts after delays

Voters turned out in droves on Tuesday for the election of the leader of the African National Congress (ANC) president at the University of Limpopo. It was unclear whether voting had started, as journalists were barred from going anywhere near the voting station.

Sexwale steps out of ANC race

African National Congress (ANC) heavyweight Tokyo Sexwale on Monday night declined his nomination to the position of national chairperson as the names of those in the running for the ruling party's top six positions were announced. As predicted, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma go head to head in the contest for party president.

And the runners-up are ...

On Sunday a picture emerged of strong support for Jacob Zuma, overshowing the rest and spectacularly managing to humiliate national ANC chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota. As strong an indicator as it was, some delegates supporting President Thabo Mbeki insisted that an Mbeki win remained a possibility.

Thousands down tools over mine safety

Thousands of mineworkers took to the streets of central Johannesburg on Tuesday, urging industry bosses to beef up safety in South African mines. This year, there have been more than 200 deaths in the mining industry. Major mining companies said they were badly affected by the one-day strike.

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