National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) secretary general Gwede Mantashe will on Wednesday lead mineworkers in a march to the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) in Pretoria.
The marchers will meet at 10am in Brown Street in the capital, then march to the Reserve Bank where a memorandum will be handed over to SARB Governor Tito Mboweni.
“We are embarking on this march to request the Reserve Bank to intervene in a situation where the export sector, and in particular mining, is facing a spate of job losses. We would like to see a situation where the currency can be in a range where it will impact positively on both the export and import sector. Although we recognise that marginal shafts are hurting, we do not think all the ills of the industry should be blamed on the strong rand” Mantashe said.
The union said it is convinced that the intervention of the bank, as an institution of government, is crucial.
NUM added that this intervention is important, more so in ensuring that the appreciation of the currency doesn’t impact negatively on the goal of creating work and eradicating poverty.
“At present most mining companies have stopped on Greenfield projects and the marginal miners, despite high commodity prices, are facing an uphill battle,” he
noted.
NUM claimed that the march has received support from the mine workers’ union Solidarity and the Chamber of Mines.
“This indicates the manner in which the whole industry views the seriousness of the situation confronting it.” – I-Net Bridge