COSATU is due to start of round of discussions with government on possible job losses associated with the introduction of the southern African free trade agreement in September, DTI director-general Alistair Ruiters said on Thursday. Trade ministers from the 14 Southern African Development Community (SADC) member countries reached agreement on the free trade protocol last week and agreed on September 1 for the introduction of a free trade agreement. The two parties would meet in Cape Town next week and the department hoped it could at that stage be able to provide details of any agreement reached, Ruiters said. The SADC free trade agreement hopes to abolish tariffs on non-sensitive products amongst its members within eight years, and by 2012 trade should be fully liberalised.
THREE MINERS KILLED
A ROCKFALL has killed three miners working underground at the African Rainbow Minerals gold mine near Welkom in the Free State. Mine spokesman Mike Jooste said on Thursday that the men were killed instantly when the hanging wall above them collapsed due to a seismic tremor measuring 1,6 on the Richter scale. He said their names would be withheld until their next of kin had been informed.