MINISTER'S INVESTIGATION INTO AURORA COMPLETED
The previous minister of Labour, Mr. Membathisi Mdladlana's investigation into the Aurora mining company due to the fact that no payments had been received by his department for unemployment insurance, has been completed.
This follows after Mr. Pieter Groenewald, Parliamentary Member and leader of the Freedom Front Plus in the Northwest, had in April asked a Parliamentary question about this issue. In his reply to a follow-up question of Mr. Groenewald the minister announced that the department of Labour had obtained two court orders against Aurora . The first court order was on 27 August 2010 and the other one on the 1st November 2010.
According to the first court order Aurora had to pay salaries and bonuses which were in arrears to the amount of R10, 705 million (R10 704 311-18) to workers. These were bonuses for December 2009 and salaries for March, April, May, June and July 2010.
Aurora then paid 100% of the salaries of maintenance personnel for August and only 68% for July. The second order was then obtained to force the Aurora mining company to pay the shortages on the first court order. Aurora undertook to make the outstanding payments no later than 30 November 2010.
"Upon an enquiry made today the workers of especially Orkney have still not received their salaries. The owners of Aurora should be arrested for contempt of court.
The owners have an arrogant and defying attitude and hold the legal system of South Africa in contempt and through this also the department of Labour. The minister and ANC always make a huge stink about farmers who do not pay their workers a minimum wage, but Aurora does not pay their workers at all.
The ANC is very quiet about this and it is clear why as the owners have family ties with president Zuma. The Freedom Front Plus will not leave it here and will be laying charges with the Police," Mr. Pieter Groenewald (MP), Provincial Leader of the Freedom Front Plus in the Northwest says.
Statement issued by Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus MP and Provincial Leader: Northwest, December 7 2010
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