[miningmx.com] — Cosatu and its affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (Num), said on Monday that they would seek high court intervention at Orkney, a mine that is under the management of Aurora Empowerment Systems.
The trade unions want the high court to “issue a notice to stop Aurora destroying the mine until the court has announced on the process of the liquidation”.
Also calling for presidential intervention, the trade unions have suggested that Aurora has been stripping the mine before finalisation of the mine’s liquidation.
“Aurora does not have any right to sell any of the assets while the case of liquidation is still on,” Cosatu said.
The decision to approach the high court follows a meeting with Aurora workers at Orkney in the North West.
Aurora was named the preferred bidder for liquidated Pamodzi’s Orkney and Grootvlei mines in 2009 but Aurora has yet to pay for the mines.
The company also owes mine workers millions in pay and, according to the trade unions, are continuing to make the “empty promises that they have made for the past two years”.
Aurora has been seeking international funding for the mines, but the trade unions have lost hope, saying “it is clear that they will never get funding from any country”.
“It is clear that they have no experience in the mining industry. It is clear that our government is unable to intervene due to the high profile names in the company,” they added.
Aurora is led by Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Zondwa Mandela, President Jacob Zuma’s nephew, Khulubuse Zuma, and the president’s former legal adviser, Michael Hulley.
