FIVE South African miners have died after being trapped underground at the Palabora Copper mine in Phalaborwa, Limpopo province. Initially, six workers were trapped and the whereabouts of the sixth worker was not immediately known, or whether he was still alive.
Palabora Copper confirmed last Sunday night that it experienced a fire at an underground conveyer belt during the early hours of last Sunday morning. The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed on Monday that one workers’ body has been brought to the surface while the bodies of four were still trapped underground.
Mine management and officials from the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) were investigating the cause of the incident. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) said in a statement last Sunday night the high temperatures, which rose to 64 to 67 degrees Celsius underground, made rescue efforts almost impossible.
The union said: ‘Breathing is difficult due to ventilation pipes being damaged by the flames, and communication lines have also been compromised. ‘Amcu sends heartfelt condolences to the loved ones and colleagues of the five fallen mineworkers. ‘The AMCU leadership is currently at the mine, praying that the situation will change for the good and that the remaining worker can be evacuated alive.’
The Department of Minerals tweeted last Sunday, July 15: ‘Palabora Mining has confirmed that two employees were found, and had unfortunately died. The rescue operation continues for the remaining employees.’ In a further tweet the Department said: ‘Five employees have now been confirmed dead at Palabora Mining. The search for one employee continues. ‘An investigation will commence once the last remaining employee is found, & the fire underground has been contained and the area declared safe.’
Cosatu National Spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said in a statement on Monday: ‘The Congress of South African Trade Unions mourns the death of six mineworkers at Palabora Copper Mine in Limpopo. We send our condolences to their families, friends and colleagues. ‘The number of fatalities in the mining sector has reached crisis levels and something needs to be done to intervene. The federation is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to personally intervene and take tangible steps to stop the mining fatalities.
‘COSATU is also reiterating its position that the Mine Health and Safety Act needs to be amended so that all those responsible for mine fatalities are held accountable and possibly prosecuted. ‘It is clear that the Minerals Council is not willing to improve the safety of the mining sector. The mining sector cannot be allowed to maim and kill workers with impunity.
‘The rapacious mining companies have failed to demonstrate any responsibility. The selfishness, greed and exploitative attitudes of the mining firms can only be stopped by a strong and decisive government. They have made it very clear that they do not value the lives of black workers and black people in general.’ Yesterday afternoon the death toll of the miners killed at the Phalaborwa Copper Mine in Limpopo rose to six when National Union of Mineworkers” north east regional secretary Phillip Mankge confirmed the latest fatality.
Meanwhile, energy company Eskom and the unions representing workers have not yet reached a wage deal, nearly a month after negotiations began. The parties were last month drawn to the negotiating table following the intervention of Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, in a bid to avoid further industrial action that could have led to crippling power outages.
The cash-strapped power utility has since shifted from its zero per cent wage increase offer, to a three-year wage increase proposal, which unions are yet to accept or reject. Last week Eskom put forward its revised offer, which is a 7.5% increase for the first year, followed by a 6.5% and 6.25% hike for the second and third years respectively.
The proposed package comes with no bonus. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) wants a bonus of 12%. ‘We have adjourned the talks to consult with our members, and also seek a meeting with the ministers of public enterprises and finance,’ said NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu last Friday. A source close to the negotiations said Eskom board chairman Jabu Mabuza told the unions during one of the meetings that if they wanted a three-year wage agreement, they must work hard for it. ‘That is a very arrogant position,’ said the source.
When negotiations began, Eskom at first said that it wouldn’t be able to afford any increases due to strained finances. This led to pickets by unions at power stations around the country. Eskom subsequently implemented load shedding, saying this had been caused, in part, by sabotage and intimidation of workers by strikers. Unions have denied the claims.
Both the NUM and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) have described the negotiations as being at a ‘sensitive stage’ – saying they would not be making any public statements on the process until they have concluded consultations with members.
The two unions issued the following joint statement on June 28: ‘The recognised trade unions at Eskom, the National Union of Mineworkers, (NUM), the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), and Solidarity met with Eskom management through the Central Bargaining Forum to resume wage talks today.
‘Last week the unions jointly made a comprehensive proposal to Eskom management and we were expecting a response to our proposal. ‘Our proposal included a plan for how Eskom can reduce cost drivers, whilst also generating enough money for wage increases and guaranteeing the long term sustainability of the State Owned Enterprise. The proposal included wage demands of the following:
• 9% wage increase for 2018 • 8.6% increase for the second year and
• 8.5% increase for 2020.
‘Eskom responded to our proposal today with the following:
• 5% wage hike for 2018
• Inflation plus 0.6% increase for 2019
• Inflation plus 0.7% for the third year ‘We have rejected this proposal. This is not an offer we can take back to our members for consideration. Once again we have called on Eskom to take this process seriously.
‘When you consider the individual demands of the unions since these talks started, we have made major concessions and compromised on our positions. ‘The leadership of all unions have demonstrated commitment by ensuring they are available for engagement.
‘In comparison Eskom has wasted a lot of time and they have not yet made any serious proposal which our members would accept. The Eskom board and the Group CEO Phakamani Hadebe continue to snub the process, and they have not bothered to attend any of the talks.
‘Eskom claims that the industrial action which workers participated in two weeks ago cost the power utility R50 billion rand in damages. Our wage proposal in comparison will cost them only R1.2 billion. Surely if Eskom was determined to settle the strike they would simply accept the proposal which has been made by all unions so that we can resolve the dispute.
‘Instead they have once again requested more time to consult with their principles. In the spirit of trying to resolve the impasse, we have given them time to consult. We shall reconvene on Thursday morning, and hopefully this time, they will place something meaningful on the table. We are eager to see this process resolved as soon as
possible.’