LOW’S CREEK – Human error or negligence could be the reason for the horrific collapse at Lily Mine on February 5.
Trade union Solidarity claims it knows the real reason behind the disaster which claimed the lives of Ms Pretty Nkambule, Mr Solomon Nyarende and Ms Yvonne Mnisi when the lamp room – a container situated at the entrance to the mine – disappeared into a massive sinkhole.
Rescue operations have been ongoing ever since and delayed several times because of the instability of the access points.
Also read: Lily Mine rescue mission enters Red Zone
On Wednesday Solidarity general secretary, Mr Gideon du Plessis, said the time has come to bring the guilty parties to book who are directly responsible for the disaster and the loss of precious lives. He added that they have “highly confidential information regarding the cause of the disaster which it has obtained in a reliable manner”.
It scheduled a media conference for yesterday morning during which it would reveal it. Maroela Media reported that Lily Mine’s management allegedly threatened Solidarity with legal action, should it continue with the briefing.
Du Plessis was quoted as saying on Pretoria FM that the information in their possession could lead to the mine’s licence being revoked and some individuals could even face criminal charges. The planned media briefing was cancelled later on Wednesday night.
Releasing another statement yesterday, it announced that it would only disclose this confidential information to the Department of Mineral Resources and the mine management, due to the “sensitivity of the information and the crucial phase within which the investigation is currently”.
Also read: Concern about safety of rescue team at Lily Mine
“Solidarity will give its assistance to the inquiry into the cause of the collapse of the Lily Mine. This entails, among other things that the union will disclose confidential information concerning the cause of the disaster during the investigation,” the statement read.
Representatives of the union met with acting director general of mineral resources, Mr David Msiza and management of Lily Mine on Wednesday night and yesterday morning.
“We decided to initially deal with the information as confidential as it is essential that the inquiry should be allowed to take its course. In this way we want to prevent the mine from closing down and hundreds of workers losing their jobs.
“The safety of our members and the mine’s employees are, however, our first priority. Meanwhile, we will also assist the management of the mine in their search for the trapped miners so that their family members can gain closure.
Should we have disclosed the sensitive information concerning the cause of the collapse of the mine today, the search for the trapped mine workers would have been delayed further,” Du Plessis said.
He added that Solidarity had also requested mine management not to intimidate any person who wants to disclose other relevant information for the purposes of the inquiry.
He also emphasised that the tension and conflict between Solidarity and the mine’s management could have been averted had the management recognised the trade union as a strategic player amid the crisis.
“This has impaired the relationship between Solidarity and the management. However, the relationship was restored during talks this morning and a protocol for future communication and engagement was agreed upon,” Du Plessis concluded.
Mr Mike McChesney, CEO of Vantage Goldfields which manages Lily Mine, did not respond to enquiries at the time of going to print.
