NUM: Limpopo mines need to be shut to halt Covid-19 outbreak
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called on the Department of Mineral Resources to temporarily close all mines in Limpopo to halt an outbreak of coronavirus.
The union says drastic steps need to be taken after 30 employees tested positive for Covid-19 at Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine.
Production at the mine was suspended earlier this month after an employee tested positive for Covid-19 as part of the mine’s return to work protocols.
The NUM’s Phillip Mankge says the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy instructed Dwarsrivier to test all its employees.
"And now, when the results are coming, we start to realise how bad is the gravity of this on the ground. The NUM is calling for Limpopo authorities to review the state of Fetakgomo Tubatse to quickly return the municipality to level 5 of lockdown, especially around issues that affect movements and social distancing.”
Another mine in the province, Marula Platinum Mine, also reported 19 positive Covid-19 cases last week and subsequently suspended operations.
The union says any mine manager who deliberately ignore Covid-19 regulations should be arrested.
"We expect all mining companies in South Africa to adhere to the strict health and safety measures in fighting the virus in their operations,” says Mankge.
“The NUM calls on its members to refuse to work in mines and operations where necessary strict measures are not put in place to protect them from the virus.”