Tag: Gold Fields

Mine strikes continue in South Africa

Strikers at the Lonmin mine, typically armed with 'traditional weapons'

Wildcat strikes at platinum, gold, coal, diamond, chrome and iron ore mines continued across a number of provinces on Thursday.

Thousands of strikers at Gold Field’s KDC West mine confirmed they would continue to down tools.

“We will not go back to work until our demands are met,” a leader of the strikers, Ellis Booi, proclaimed to the cheers of thousands of Gold Field’s workers who had gathered at a stadium close to the West Rand mine on Thursday.

While some wildcat strikes have seen some mines shut down production for two to three weeks already, workers at many other mines made the decision to down tools this week.

Strikes have now been reported in Gauteng, the North West, the Northern Cape, Free State, Kwazulu-Natal and Limpopo.

Mining operations at Kumba Iron Ore’s Sishen Mine in the Northern Cape were suspended on Thursday, after around 300 striking employees blocked an entrance to the open pit where mining takes place.

On Tuesday, an underground sit-in by about 65 workers began at Petra Diamond’s Kimberley mine. This action subsequently halted mining operations this week.

On Thursday, Petra Diamond spokesman Gert Kloppers said the company would like the miners to come back up.

“They are welcome to come out anytime. We would appreciate that,” he said, adding the company and unions were committed to finding a solution to the problem.

A strike also started on Tuesday at Harmony Gold’s Kusasalethu mine on the West Rand when a group of about 300 workers prevented those on a night shift from going underground.

On Thursday, the mine remained closed as some workers barricaded the entrance.

Wildcat strikes which flared up on Monday at Gold One’s Ezulwini mine on the West Rand, Bokani Platinum mine in Limpopo and at Samancor Western Chrome Mines near Rustenburg extended into Thursday.

There seemed no clear end in sight for the three-week long strike at Gold Fields KDC West Mine, near Carletonville and at the Beatrix mine in Free State involving around 22,000 workers collectively.

Similarly, mining operations at Anglo Gold Ashanti’s six mines in Gauteng remained shut as wildcat strikes involving tens of thousands of workers, which started in late September, continued into October.

“All remains at a standstill,” spokesman Stewart Bailey said on Thursday.

Anglo American Platinum’s (Amplats) Rustenburg and Union mines have also continued to be the scene of disorder since mid-September, with the company conducting risk assessments this week after damage to property was reported.

Miners at Coal of Africa’s Mooiplaats Colliery in Mpumulanga have continued striking since pay talks broke down two weeks ago.

A number of affected mines planned disciplinary hearings for Friday, warning that a possible outcome of these could be dismissals.

Meanwhile, union leaders and gold and coal mine CEOs met at the Chamber of Mines in Johannesburg on Thursday.

“We need to find a common ground with the captains of industry,” said National Union of Mineworkers president Senzeni Zokwana.

Unions want the bargaining councils reopened. – Sapa

SA mining trapped in the 19th century – Ramphele

Mamphela Ramphele

South Africa needs to dig itself out of a 19th-century mining business model, academic Mamphela Ramphele said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a media briefing ahead of an international leadership education conference in Cape Town, she said a failure to change the nature of the industry was having devastating repercussions.

“We’ve just had this tragic Marikana debacle, and what was in evidence there is the consequence of South Africa failing to transform the mining industry from a 19th century business model, which relies on cheap migrant labour, very archaic mining technology and a… low-skilled, labour-intensive industrial base.”

She said change could come from leaders of business schools, leaders in the private mining sector and citizens putting their heads together.

“I want to make sure my three-year old grandson, in 30 years’ time, is in a country he can be proud of; and that will not happen, unless we deal with the legacy issues which are holding us back.”

Ramphele, who also chairs the Gold Fields board, said her recent visit to the mining house’s Australian operations showed the industries in the two countries were like chalk and cheese.

“Of course, they were established in different periods, but that doesn’t stop us, because one of the things South Africa is underplaying is technological innovation capacity,” Ramphele said.

She referred to the London Underground rail system, and said tunnelling technology developed in South Africa had contributed towards this.

Ramphele said the ability to innovate and change to a new mining model was not lacking in South Africa.

“We just have not applied our minds because there isn’t the political leadership and will to create a framework for a mining industry of the 21st century.”

She also took aim at industry bosses.

“The private sector, in the form of the mining industry, has also not exercised its mind about how do you leverage the huge endowment… in the form of mineral resources; leveraging that as a way of positioning South Africa as a globally competitive economy… .”

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Ramphele said South Africa had missed the benefits of the last mining boom, while other countries flourished.

“The other thing we do in South Africa — which is really inexplicable, that’s the polite way of putting it — is that we are exporting value to China, to India, to everywhere.

“We mined the riches the dear Lord gave us, gave it to others to process, which means we are exporting jobs, then we re-import (processed minerals) at huge costs for our own purposes, which is why we are de-industrialising.”

She said re-industrialisation in mining would depend on a rethink of the whole value chain.

Ramphele is also a businesswoman and medical doctor, and was an anti-apartheid activist. – Sapa

Striking workers disperse at Gold Fields mine

Striking mineworkers who had gathered at Gold Fields’ KDC west mine near Carletonville on Saturday morning have dispersed, the company said.

Spokesman Sven Lunsche said the area was calm and protesters had returned to their hostels.

Wage talks between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and management] would get underway either on Sunday or Monday, said Lunsche.

Miners affiliated to the NUM went on strike on Sunday. Their demands included the removal of NUM branch leadership at the mine, pay equalisation and a pay increase to R12,500.

Thousands of workers converged at the mine this week, causing disruptions and intimidation.

On Tuesday, expelled African National Congress Youth League president Julius Malema called for the resignation of NUM leaders, including its general secretary Frans Baleni, who was reportedly earning R1,4 million a year, according to the Mail & Guardian. – Sapa