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Miners must share safety practices - Senzeni Zokwana, president, NUM
In an interview on ClassicFM @ 18:00 on Monday, 3 December 2007
[miningmx.com] -- SOUTH African mining companies could reduce fatalities at their mines if they shared safety practices, said president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Senzeni Zokwana.
"South Africa is one of the countries where mining companies have many years experience in deep level mining," said Zokwana.
"Given the recent price of gold they obviously need to mine more, resulting in miners having to dig deeper for gold," he said. "This is very risky."
Mining companies, however, could reduce the rate at which miners were dying if they shared their practices, said Zokwana.
"They need to open their data and share ways to reduce deaths at these mines. Collaboratively, they can turn this around." Zokwana was speaking on Classic Business, a week-nightly radio broadcast.
The death toll on South Africa’s mines has surpassed the 199 recorded in 2006. This
is despite a commitment from the mining houses in 2003 they would lower the fatality rate at their operations by 20% a year, efforts intended to pull the industry into line with its Australian and North American peers by 2013.
To protest against poor safety conditions, NUM members are to down tools on December 4 (Tuesday) bringing production at many mines to a halt.
Commenting on the strike, Zokwana said that unless drastic measures were taken to draw the attention of the public and government, people would continue to die in South African mines.
"We do appreciate what the president has done in terms of the (safety) audit. We also appreciate the fact that the Minister of Minerals and Energy takes safety very seriously. But there are several recommendations of the Health and Safety Act that government is not taking seriously," said Zokwana.
"The Act, for instance, states that every mine boss should be held liable and should have to appear before the
court of law for every death, but that has never happened,” he said.
Mining companies also had maps that helped them understand what goes on underground but the maps were not used appropriately, he said.
"They are able to see if they are about to hit the rock, for instance, but I doubt they actually stop and take more caution before they do so because to them it all about chasing profit," said Zokwana.
Deaths reported over the weekend by Gold Fields, Xstrata and Anglo Platinum had pushed the toll to 201 this year.
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