We appreciate this opportunity granted to us by the honorable
chairperson to address this august chamber on this important matter of deaths and accidents in the mining
industry.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) organizes and is a
representative union in Mining, Energy and Construction sectors of our economy.
Since its inception in 1982, NUM have been in the forefront in struggles waged
by the Working Class against the
oppression and exploitation of man by man.
In this regard, we have not only fought against poor working
conditions for our members in the mines but have vigorously raised matters
pertaining to bad health and safety conditions under which our members work in
this industry.
We have condemned and mourned the preventable deaths of workers in the mines. These accidents and
fatalities occur at the height of industry’s pursuit of targets to maximize
profits.
We will not only demonstrate the gravity of this situation
but will submit formidable recommendations for the consideration of this house.
Mining played a pivotal role in the development of the South
African economy since the discovery of minerals in the 18th century.
It provided the original impetus for the extensive infrastructure that
currently sustains
Mining and quarrying GDP contribution has been 6.7% in 2003;
6.3% in 2004 and 6.2% in 2005. Taking into account the multiplier effects, the
overall contribution of mining to GDP came closer to 16%, while both directly
and indirectly, mining contributed an estimated 25% to total employment in the
country.
This growth is also
quantified by
For 2006 the industry
accounts for:
The above illustrated growth and profit maximization in the
mining industry has been characterized by the high levels of accidents and
fatalities. From the early stages of mining activities in our country, workers
in this industry have been exposed to occupational hazards ranging from
occupationally induced diseases, accidents and deaths. Fatalities in mines have
been so prevalent such that they became a norm to the extent that this industry has been and still is
characterized as the killing fields within our economy. To illustrate this
fact, below here we are highlighting the few recorded major disasters dating
back to 1926:
·
125 workers were killed in 1926 in
the
·
68 workers were killed in the 1938
Hlobane disaster.
·
437 workers were killed in the 1960
Coal Brook disaster.
·
177 workers were killed in the 1986
Kinross disaster.
·
20 workers were killed in the 1996
Rovic disaster.
·
20 workers were killed in the
2000/01 Beatrix disasters.
The numbers of people who have lost their lives in this
industry within these centuries is substantially more than the above mentioned
figures, given the individual workers who died weekly if not daily during this
period.
The nature and causes of these accidents and fatalities have long been
identified by the
We submit that through early detection of seismicity,
workers can be evacuated from the potentially dangerous/hazardous workplace. We
can also identify seismicity prone mines. Therefore, heavy investment by the
industry is required on the fields of health and safety.
Almost on a daily basis there are reports throughout the
media and mining journals regarding near misses, accidents and fatalities from
the mines in our country. This is indicative of a crisis situation engulfing the mining industry. The irony is that
the mine bosses do not seem perturbed,
perhaps the reason is that more than the majority of workers who dye are Black
and that Black life is cheap in this country. Given the high rate of
unemployment that affect mainly Black people in this country, it is more than
easy for the employers in this industry to replace those workers who died as a
result of these accidents. This situation cannot be allowed to persist
particularly in the face of rising profits in this industry.
The table below illustrates the number of fatalities and
accidents per commodity per year from year 2000 to 2007:
Fatality rates per million hours worked 2000 - 2007* |
|
|||||||||
|
Gold |
Coal |
Platinum |
Other |
|
|
No. Fatals |
|
||
2000 |
0.41 |
0.25 |
0.23 |
0.26 |
34 |
|
285 |
|
||
2001 |
0.45 |
0.17 |
0.25 |
0.28 |
38 |
|
288 |
|
||
2002 |
0.44 |
0.2 |
0.26 |
0.3 |
45 |
|
290 |
|
||
2003 |
0.37 |
0.21 |
0.24 |
0.25 |
41 |
|
270 |
|
||
2004 |
0.28 |
0.19 |
0.21 |
0.31 |
53 |
|
246 |
|
||
2005 |
0.30 |
0.13 |
0.15 |
0.17 |
33 |
|
202 |
|
||
2006 |
0.34 |
0.16 |
0.11 |
0.13 |
26 |
|
200 |
|
||
*2007 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
252 |
|
||
* Projected( As at September 2007) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Injury rates per million hours worked 2000 - 2007* |
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Gold |
Coal |
Platinum |
Other |
|
|
No. Injuries |
|
||
2000 |
8.46 |
1.68 |
3.24 |
2.59 |
336 |
|
4733 |
|
||
2001 |
8.35 |
1.56 |
4.07 |
2.87 |
385 |
|
4728 |
|
||
2002 |
8.32 |
1.59 |
3.19 |
2.37 |
354 |
|
4461 |
|
||
2003 |
7.70 |
1.75 |
3.00 |
1.83 |
298 |
|
4301 |
|
||
2004 |
7.37 |
1.81 |
2.91 |
1.88 |
318 |
|
4268 |
|
||
2005 |
6.85 |
1.48 |
3.54 |
1.62 |
311 |
|
3985 |
|
||
2006 |
7.02 |
2.05 |
3.75 |
1.30 |
256 |
|
4159 |
|
||
*2007 |
6.97 |
1.55 |
3.95 |
1.34 |
262 |
|
4179 |
|
||
* Projected |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Whilst this information is not up to date because it
excludes the actual figures for August, September and October this year (which
are discussed separately in the ensuing paragraphs), we can conclude that about
1926 workers have been killed in this industry since year 2000 to August 2007.
The staggering number of 34 814 have been injured in this industry over the
same period. This translates to 9630
family members who lost bread winners and 174 070 who permanently or partially
lost normal income as a result of injured bread winners.
August 2007
There were 10 fatalities reported in August this year. Of
these six (6) are from the Gold mining sector, two (2) are from the Platinum
mines and two (2) are from the Diamond mines. Ground falls were the cause of
four (4) of these fatalities, transport and mining accidents accounted for two
(2) fatalities and accidents classified as general accounted for two(2)
fatalities.
The fatal ground falls were reported in the following mines:
·
Goldfields:
Driefontein Consolidated.
·
Impala:
Impala platinum mine.
·
Harmony:
HGM, REGM operations.
·
Amplats:
RPM, Rustenburg section.
September 2007
There were 16 fatalities reported during September 2007. Of these
fatalities:
·
13
were reported by gold mining sector,
·
platinum reported one (1),
·
sand mine reported one (1)
·
diamond
mine reported one (1)
·
four (4) workers died in a disastrous fall of
ground at Anglogold’s Mponeng mine and
·
ERPM
Gold mine accounted for two (2) fatalities in separate accidents.
The fatal ground
falls were reported in the following mines:
October 2007
There are no statistics yet available for the month of
October except the near miss in Elesrand mine
where 3 200 workers were trapped underground without an immediate alternative
route for more than 24 hours. This incident nearly resulted in disastrous
situation and highlighted to the entire nation the unsafe conditions under
which our members are required to work. Also there were two fatalities at the
Kloof Mine, in the first- on the 10th, three workers died, the
second- on the 30th where two workers died.
The NUM is concerned with the apparent lack of legal action
that must be instituted against the accounting officers who have been found to
have negated their duties and or responsibilities in their employment at mining
companies. The union and DME inspectorate have participated in all accident
inquiries as per section 65 of the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1996. We have
supported the findings and recommendations of these inquiries particularly
those that call for prosecution of accounting officers who have been found to
be negligent. However, as far back as year 2000 no employer has ever been
prosecuted or even charged by the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) any
where in the country. Hence, the rising levels of accidents and fatalities. We
believe that this inaction is not only limited to the mining industry, there is
a huge backlog of occupational related cases that is accumulating at Nation
Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The irony
is that the NPA deploys huge resources in pursuit of an individual (the deputy
president of the ANC) for over seven years investigating circumstances where no
life has been lost or property ever been maliciously damaged, neglecting
corporations and functionaries whose actions resulted in thousands of people
being killed and thousands of families loosing their loved ones and
livelihoods. Again these are Black lives therefore they are worthless. This
constitutes traverse of justice for broader society within our country
particularly workers and their families.
The Constitution of the
To further substantiate the above mentioned facts, we
tabulate here below few examples of these cases that have been outstanding
since year 2000:
Mine Health and Safety
Act, 1996: section 65 accident inquiries:
File ref. |
Matter |
Description of
matter |
Status |
NUM10080 |
Beatrix Mine Accident, 15 May 2000 |
Methane explosion at Beatrix Mine in 2000 resulted in the
deaths of seven (7) workers. |
Inquiry complete. The presiding officer found the mine to
have been negligent and recommended that the mine, mine manager and other
officials be charged with culpable homicide. |
NUM10091 |
Beatrix mine accident, 8 May 2001 |
Methane explosion at Beatrix mine in 2001 resulted in the
deaths of thirteen(13) workers |
Inquiry complete. The presiding officer found the mine to
have been negligent and recommended the mine, mine manager and other
officials be charged with culpable homicide. |
NUM10117 |
Coega Development Accident, 13 November 2003 |
A bridge collapsed while under construction in 2003 and
resulted in the deaths of two (2) workers. |
Inquiry complete. The presiding officer has indicated that
he cannot make the report available to the affected parties until the DPP
makes a decision. The DPP in the |
NUM10119 |
Northam Platinum accident, 20 September 2004 |
In September 2004 a conveyer belt caught fire and resulted
in the deaths of nine (9) workers. A joint inquest inquiry was held, presided
over by a magistrate and an inspector of mines. |
Inquest/Inquiry complete. The magistrate found the mine
negligent and recommended that it be charged with culpable homicide. |
NUM10131 |
Tau-Tona Mine Accident, 23
October 2006. |
In October 2006, a seismic event of magnitude 2.0 occurred
and resulted in the deaths of five (5) workers. |
Evidence has been concluded. Heads of argument have been
filed and the inquiry report is awaited. |
NUM10135 |
|
In February 2007, a rock fall occurred and resulted in the
death of one (1) worker. |
The inquiry is part-heard and should have reconvened in
September 2007 |
NUM10136 |
Trans Hex Mine Richtersveld, 29 July 2007. |
In July 2007, a worker died after being trapped by a
moving conveyer belt. |
The inquiry should have been held in October 2007. |
Another concern is on
the penalty fees imposed to the mining business, which we view as of little
significance and therefore mining companies budgeting for such penalties.
This situation of accidents and fatalities is grave and that
as a union we believe that it will continue unabated until drastic measures are
taken to compel the employers in the mining to prioritize health and safety to
form integral part of their business management. Following are some of the
immediate measures that we recommend for Parliamentary attention and sanction:
·
Commissioning of research both
within the country and abroad on the available technology on early detection of
seismic events, preventative measures against rock fall and fall of the ground,
adequate escape routes and ventilation, periodic geological inspection and
adequate protective equipments. This research must be undertaken by an
independent professional body/institution and report must be submitted to this
chamber.
·
Legislation must be strengthened in
the areas that provide for fines and imprisonment.
·
A legal provision must be made for
Parliament to summons for appearance of the Chamber of Mines, Mine Houses and
individual mine companies whose record of health and safety continues to
deteriorate.
·
Enabling legislation to Nationalize
mines that are found to be negligent and whose actions result in the deaths of
workers.
·
The Chamber of Mines, Mine Houses
and individual mining companies must be compelled to review the current
training they offer to health and safety representatives and employees. The
content and mechanisms must include guidelines on risk assessment to enable
workers to detect and report hazardous conditions.
·
Parliament must pay serious
attention to the skills shortage and Capacity of the mines’ inspectorate,
because it compromises the spirit and the objectives of the Mine Health and
Safety Act.
·
The business must demonstrate and
take leadership in the skills development, for example, by increasing bursary
funding at tertiary level to deal with the skill shortage.
·
Parliament must call for detailed
report from the NPA on the causes of delays in prosecution on occupational
related cases and an action plan to alleviate this situation.
In conclusion, we once more thank this chamber for this
opportunity to address you on this painful matter. We trust that we have given
you the necessary information that will enable these honorable members to act
and stop this carnage in our industry.
Given the gravity of this situation and the need to send a
clear message to employers that profit maximization must not be pursued at the
cost of our members’ lives, NUM have no
alternative but forced to take a decision to embark on a National Strike to
highlight the plight of these workers and their family members. The date
for the National strike will be announced as soon as the consultation process
is concluded. We intend appealing to COSATU and its affiliates for support
during this difficult and painful period.
We Thank You.