NUM is against the Aurorisation of Blyvoor Mine in Carletonville.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in Carletonville Region is perturbed by the latest developments on the liquidation process of Blyvoor mine that has resulted in what can be called a hostile takeover by people who caused miseries for mineworkers in Aurora, coming up with the new name called Goldrich Holdings (see M&G report).
The same people are now the owners of Blyvoor and the NUM is worried about the Aurorisation of this Company. This is because of the Court order issued on the 23rd January 2014.
The people behind Goldrich include Thulane Ngubane and Fazel Bhana, who face lawsuits running into the hundreds of millions of rand for their roles in Aurora Empowerment Systems, which was awarded the bid for Pamodzi Gold's East Rand and Orkney mines when Pamodzi went into liquidation in 2009. The Aurora bosses stand accused of simply stripping the mines, leaving the poor mineworkers underpaid and suffering.
The NUM appreciates the patience, support and collectivism the members displaced during these trying times. This happened as the Village Main Reef (VMR) decided to abandon Blyvoor, throwing the livelihoods of more than 1, 700 mineworkers and their families in financial difficulties.
The way things has turned out, leaves a lot to be desired about the performance and credibility of the liquidators led by Leigh Roering and Chris Monyela, which was raised by the NUM at the time of their appointment.
Even though the indications are that the first four hundred workers will be recalled commencing the 31st January 2014, there is no guarantee that the remaining workers will regain their jobs and the NUM members in the mass meeting held on the same Friday of the 31st January 2014 (today) , asked the leadership to be vigilant as they do not what the repeat of what happened to them under VMR.
The VMR , which has been the accommodation for the Blyvoor workers, has also been sold to what is called "Double D & G Building Contractors under the directorship of Liz Gericke which is now pushing the individuals to sign lease agreements with an upfront payment of R3,500.00 from these workers.
This company will be running the Village as an accommodation facility open to everybody who has money to rent and this is their core business.
Statement issued by Livhuwani Mammburu, Acting NUM National spokesperson, January 31 2014
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
