The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has accused South African mining companies of putting profit ahead of the lives of ordinary workers.
Speaking to the Mail & Guardian this week after the deaths of two mineworkers at AngloGold Ashanti’s Moab Khotsong mine near Orkney, NUM general secretary Frans Baleni blamed the increasing number of mining deaths on the company’s management.
According to unconfirmed reports, since the beginning of this year there have been more than 110 deaths on South African mines. Last year alone, according to NUM, the industry recorded 199 deaths compared with 202 in 2005. Last week’s incident at AngloGold Ashanti has brought to four the number of deaths at the mine since the beginning of this year. At Gold Fields 10 miners were killed, while 12 deaths were recorded at Anglo Platinum in the past few months.
According to Anglo Platinum’s spokesperson, Simon Tebele, about 56 miners have been killed since 2005. As a result a number of shafts have been closed.
”Quite clearly there has not been a significant improvement in terms of improving the safety of our workers.
”The bosses are concerned only about huge bonuses while poor workers are getting killed in the process. These accidents are reaching alarming proportions,” said Baleni.
This week’s incident at AngloGold Ashanti prompted the department of minerals and energy to order a shutdown of the mine.
Baleni said he supported minerals and energy minister Buyelwa Sonjica’s position that chief executives and accounting officers should be held accountable for fatal accidents at their mines.
He said when mining companies determine bonus payments, they should look at the level of fatalities at their companies.
AngloGold Ashanti spokesperson Alan Fine acknowledged that the safety records of the mining companies were not up to standard and said his company had put plans in place to improve the situation.
”The record deteriorated in 2006 after many years of improvement and we are concerned about that,” Fine said.
Baleni said the department should conduct investigations and deal with negligence.
According to Business Day, the department this week warned that operations that had no health and safety plans would be stopped and the department would consider the withdrawal of mining licences where there was no compliance.