Situation at Zondereinde mine remains tense, police on alert

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The management of platinum miner Northam Platinum said talks would continue with all parties – namely rival trade unions, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) – to resolve the current unrest at its Zondereinde platinum mine, in Limpopo, and ensure its employees returned to work.

A mass meeting attended by NUM members, Northam management and the South African Police Service (SAPS), was held at the mine on Wednesday to address safety and security concerns.

NUM national spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the meeting was ongoing and stressed that its members would only return to work if the mine provided union members with “ironclad” assurances that their safety was guaranteed.

Northam had halted operations at Zondereinde on Monday, following the death of an employee and NUM member in Northam town, about 20 km from the mine, on Sunday, that resulted in incidents of violence at the mine.

Another employee, an AMCU member, was killed near the mine on Monday morning in continued disruptions.
  
Meanwhile, Northam CE Paul Dunne has called on all parties to act “responsibly”.

“We urge all parties to exercise leadership following these tragic incidents, in the interests of safety for all,” he emphasised.

Dunne said mine management would assist the authorities in their investigations into the deaths where required, and was seeking to administer to the needs of the families of the deceased.

Northam SAPS Colonel Noko Kgoshiyadira told Mining Weekly Online that the situation was stable “without being calm”.

He said the police had increased patrols near the mine and in the town. “We also have units stationed at the mine to monitor the situation,” Kgoshiyadira added.