Zuma to pay back R23-m to dismissed Aurora employees
After six years of lawsuits and many delays the end of the Aurora saga is finally in sight.
Miners and other employees working at Aurora Mine when it ceased operations in 2010 will soon receive some compensation for lost wages.
A settlement was reached on Wednesday in the North Gauteng High Court for Khulubuse Zuma, one of the directors of Aurora at the time of the company’s liquidation, to pay R23-million in damages to the Pamodzi and Aurora liquidators.
The court also ordered sequestration of the members of the Bhana family who were involved in the destruction of Aurora Empowerment Systems in 2010.
A statement released by Trade Union Solidarity states the 5 300 former Aurora employees will now receive part of their outstanding money from the Zuma settlement, as well as the income from the selling of the Bhanas’ assets.
According to Solidarity general secretary Gideon du Plessis, Zuma has already made the first payment of R5-m and needed to pay the outstanding R500 000 before close of business on Wednesday.
Zuma must pay the next R16-m in monthly payments of R500 000, and the final amount of R2-m needs to be paid in monthly payments of R100 000 until the full sum of R23-m is paid.
“Solly, Fazel and Zubeida Bhana and Yaseem Theba, who were directors of Aurora, have repeatedly failed to comply with the previously reached upon R5.9-m damages agreement.
They were consequently sequestrated on Wednesday, in spite of the efforts of their legal representatives who continued to attempt to postpone Wednesday’s court proceedings,” says du Plessis.
Du Plessis believes Theba and the Bhana family came off lightly after nearly 5 300 employees and their families were plunged into poverty and the Pamodzi mining assets, valued at almost R1.7-billion, were destroyed.
“Fortunately, the criminal charges pending against Bhana will go ahead and Solidarity called on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to prosecute the Bhanas and their accomplices as soon as possible.
“An application for the liquidation of Thulani Ngubane, Zondwa Mandela, Feroza Bhana and Shamilla Essay’s assets is to follow in due course,” says du Plessis.
