UPDATE: Inquest into Lily Mine disaster begins in Barberton
A formal inquest into Lily Mine's collapse could bring closure for the families of the deceased miners.
The formal inquest into the Lily Mine collapse has started in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court today and has been postponed until September.
The inquest may give some answers to the families of the three miners who died in the Lily Mine collapse more than five years ago.
Yvonne Mnisi, Solomon Nyerende and Pretty Nkambule were in an office container when the mine collapsed in February 2016.
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In a statement, ActionSA has labelled the inquest as “critical” to the prosecution of Mike McChesney, the CEO of Vantage Goldfields.
Speaking to Lowvelder, McChesney said that the inquiry is a formality that has to take place since the employees died of unnatural causes.
The official government inquiry into the collapse of the mine has already been finalised, finding that the collapse of the mine was not due to negligence.
The families of the deceased miners built a camp in front of the mine’s gates, hoping it would put pressure on the owners of the mine and government to recover their loved ones’ remains.
The camp was burned down in April. One of the accused, Kaizer Gwebu, is currently in court on charges of arson.
