NUM is deeply concerned with 196 Covid-19 positive cases reported at Mponeng Mine near Carletonville
26 May 2020
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is deeply concerned with the latest 196 COVID-19 positive cases reported at AngloGold Ashanti Mponeng Mine near Carletonville, west of Johannesburg. There are also 10 COVID-19 positive cases reported at Moab Khutsong mine in Matlosana. The NUM has expressed serious concerns after the mines were allowed to operate at 50% by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). Our reasoning behind this was informed by the issue of compliance, which was and is still highly compromised by the mines. And we further called upon the regulator the DMRE to stop with immediate effect all this operation until all safety measures were adhered to. The NUM was opposed to the blanket approach because we wanted the mines to strictly adhere to COVID_19 regulations that included screening, testing, transportation, PPE to Health workers and quarantine places. We felt that those regulations should be a priority to all mining companies before the granting of an exemption to resume operation. Social distancing was not even observed during the time.
The NUM now feels vindicated that we were correct when we opposed the mines to operate at 50%. There is now an outbreak of the virus in the mining industry and the infections are increasing at an alarming rate. Where is the regulatory department during this time of calamity in the mining industry? The NUM proposes that all mining operations that have a high number of COVID-19 infections to be temporarily closed until the situation is remedied. All workers must be paid 100% of their salaries during the temporary closure of the affected mines. All mine managers whose companies are not adhering to the COVID-19 regulations must be arrested. We will not allow a situation where our members and other workers are sacrificed for profits by these heartless and evil mining companies.
Mining companies must follow strict Covid-19 health and safety protocols in their screening and testing of workers to avoid situations where mines and mining communities become clusters of Covid-19 infections.
The NUM views occupational health and safety as a matter of workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities. Mining companies have the responsibility to ensure safe and healthy workplaces. The NUM has always insisted on the right to participate in the decision-making on what controls will be implemented. That means Joint Health and Safety Committees and trade union safety representatives must be fully involved in the design, implementation, and monitoring of all measures taken. Section 23 of the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) empowers workers to refuse to perform unhealthy or unsafe work if they have reason to believe that the controls are inadequate.