COSATU welcomes Aurora court judgement
The Congress of South African Trade Unions is thrilled by the dismissal by the Pretoria High Court of an urgent application by Khulubuse Zuma to have claims of over R1.5 billion against Aurora Empowerment Systems set aside.
"The application is dismissed with costs," ruled Judge Eberhardt Bertelsmann, as "Zuma's interests were not directly affected". The case will now be heard on 23 March 20125
In 2009, Aurora was appointed by liquidators to manage two mines formerly owned by Pamodzi in Springs and Orkney after the company went bankrupt. All that Aurora did however was allegedly to strip the mines of infrastructure and leave hundreds of workers without pay, and they have been struggling to survive for five years on handouts.
COSATU was concerned that Zuma's court bid could have even further delayed efforts by liquidators to hold the directors of Aurora responsible for the non-payment of workers and the alleged asset-stripping.
The liquidators' lawyers described Zuma's application as a ploy to stop the court hearing the application by the liquidators that seeks to hold him and other directors personally liable for the R1.7-billion.
COSATU accused the directors of doing everything possible to trying to stonewall, delay and renege on their responsibility to pay workers at the mines and to deprive them of what is clearly due to them.
National Union of Mineworkers Matlosane regional secretary, Joseph Monisetse, said that "this application is really disturbing us because it seeks to postpone again the interests of workers who have been waiting for almost five years now. Instead of Aurora paying workers, they are paying lawyers to defend themselves against paying the poor workers."
"The judgement, he said, "had paved the way for their ‘victory' in the following case [on 23 March]. We're prepared to see that the outcome will be positive so that workers who have been suffering from almost five years now can receive their dues which are held by Aurora."
Statement issued by Patrick Craven, COSATU national spokesperson, March 3 2015
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