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/ 24 November 2007

Miner dead in Harmony rockfall

One miner has died and another was injured following an underground accident at Harmony Gold’s Elandsrand mine on Friday, the company said. ”He succumbed to his injuries after he was trapped underground for four hours. His body was discovered in the afternoon,” said chief operating officer Alwyn Pretorius.

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/ 23 November 2007

Harmony says miner missing at Elandsrand mine

Harmony Gold said on Friday one worker was injured and another was missing after a rockfall at its Elandsrand mine, which re-opened on Monday after it was shut down in early October following an accident. An official at Harmony said the mine had not been shut again after Friday’s accident, which took place about 3km underground at about 10.30am.

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/ 23 November 2007

SA mining union plans safety strike

The National Union of Mineworkers plans to ask its members to down tools on December 4 to protest against a spate of deaths in the country’s mines, the president of the union said. Senzeni Zokwana unveiled the date of the planned action in a speech at a congress of global miners’ unions, which started in Thailand on Thursday, a statement said.

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/ 22 November 2007

Fifa ‘concerned’ over stadium preparations

World soccer governing body Fifa was concerned about 2010 stadium preparations, its general secretary, Jerome Valcke, said on Thursday at a media briefing in Durban. Stadium workers in Nelspruit, Durban and Cape Town recently staged strikes for better wages and this raised concerns that South Africa would not be ready to host the World Cup.

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/ 21 November 2007

New Cup strike: Workers cry foul

South Africa’s preparations for the 2010 Soccer World Cup were dealt a new blow on Wednesday by a fresh bout of strike action by construction workers at one of the host stadiums. The latest strike came as thousands of delegates and journalists began arriving in South Africa ahead of this weekend’s draw in Durban.

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/ 20 November 2007

World Cup may cost billions more

Projected costs for South Africa’s preparations to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup could be up to 20% higher due to factors such as rising steel and cement prices, Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi said on Tuesday. Officials in the host cities have delivered cost escalations between R2,8-billion and R3,4-billion above budget.

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/ 19 November 2007

Durban 2010 strike comes to an end

The two-week long strike by construction workers building Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium came to an end on Monday after workers accepted an offer made by the Group Five-WBHO consortium. National Union of Mineworkers regional coordinator Bonginkosi Mncwabe said workers would return to work on Tuesday morning.

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/ 17 November 2007

Stadium strike: Draft agreement on the table

Negotiations between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Group Five-led consortium building Durban’s Moses Mabhida Soccer World Cup soccer stadium have yielded a draft agreement. NUM’s KwaZulu-Natal regional coordinator Bonginkosi Mncwabe said the union’s leadership would present the agreement to workers on Saturday.

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/ 16 November 2007

Durban construction strike continues

Dozens of 2010 construction workers converged on Durban’s Moses Mabhida stadium on Friday to continue industrial action. Talks with their building contractor failed to result in a resolution on Thursday. Talks between the National Union of Mineworkers and the Group Five/WBHO consortium are expected to resume on Friday.

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/ 15 November 2007

Work resumes at mine following union violence

Work is to resume at Goldfield’s Beatrix mine in the Free State on Thursday following clashes between workers that saw four people die. ”Employee groups have been in discussions all day and have reached agreement to return to work and deal with the issues they’ve had in an amicable manner,” said a Goldfields spokesperson.

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/ 15 November 2007

Group Five, union locked in 2010 stadium talks

Group Five and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) were on Thursday locked in negotiations in a bid to stop the strike at the Moses Mabhida Stadium from spreading to other 2010 stadiums under construction. NUM national spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka said the two sides had met on Wednesday evening and talks had resumed again on Thursday morning.

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/ 14 November 2007

Jordaan: Strike won’t affect World Cup draw

The strike at the 2010 stadium in Durban will not affect the preliminary draw of the Soccer World Cup, local organising committee CEO Danny Jordaan said on Wednesday. Workers at the stadium went on strike last week demanding better wages and monthly project bonuses of R1 500. The draw will determine the playing groups for the World Cup in South Africa.

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/ 14 November 2007

Union to strike at all 2010 sites

The ongoing strike that has seen construction workers down tools at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium could spread to other 2010 Soccer World Cup stadiums that are under construction, as well as the high-speed Gautrain. Meanwhile, about 600 striking construction workers marched to Durban’s City Hall on Wednesday.

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/ 14 November 2007

Durban braces for 2010 draw

Confirmation that the Soccer World Cup has arrived on the shores of Africa is little more than a week away. The reality for many in the soccer fraternity will only sink in when they watch the preliminary draw beaming out from Durban’s International Convention Centre to television screens across the world.

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/ 9 November 2007

Durban stadium strike not over

Hundreds of construction workers striking at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium began dispersing on Friday, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said. Msi Poswa, the NUM’s regional organiser and chief negotiator, said tired protesters were told by the union they could return home. ”They will regroup on Monday,” he said.

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/ 8 November 2007

Stadium consortium interdicts striking workers

The Group Five-WBHO Consortium on Thursday obtained a Labour Court interdict preventing construction workers from entering the site where Durban’s Moses Mabhida 2010 Soccer World Cup Stadium is being built. The interdict followed an incident in the morning when two security guards were chased off the building site by striking workers.

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/ 7 November 2007

Wildcat strike at Cup stadium in Durban

More than 1 000 labourers on Wednesday walked off the job at a South African soccer stadium work site, the latest in a string of disputes disrupting the nation’s preparations to host the Soccer World Cup in 2010. The National Union of Mineworkers said its workers had downed their tools to press demands for bonuses and improved safety conditions.

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/ 5 November 2007

Durban World Cup stadium strike looms

Union representatives and management of the company contracted to build Durban’s 2010 Soccer World Cup stadium will meet on Tuesday in a last-ditch attempt to avert a strike that would halt construction at the stadium. The National Union of Mineworkers is demanding project bonuses of R1 500 a month for each worker.

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/ 2 November 2007

AngloGold shuts mine after worker killed

AngloGold Ashanti shut one of its larger mines in South Africa on Friday after a miner was killed in a rockfall as a miners’ strike to protest against the spate of mine deaths in the country loomed. AngloGold, the world’s third-biggest gold producer, shut its TauTona mine after the worker died in the early hours of Friday.

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/ 31 October 2007

Two killed in accident at Kloof Gold Mine

Gold Fields announced on Wednesday that two employees lost their lives in the morning in an underground accident at the number four shaft of Kloof Gold Mine, near Westonaria. Two other mine employees were injured, one seriously. The four were part of a 10-man team working in a stope on 41 level, approximately 3 000m below surface.