Over 2,000 employees of Impala Platinum Mine find themselves underground in an unauthorized strike at Bafokeng Rasimone Mine in the North West. As of Tuesday, operations at the mine remain suspended, leaving management in collaboration with unions to unravel the motivations behind the workers’ decision to strike without specifying their demands or grievances against the management.
Johan Theron, the spokesperson for Implats, expressed uncertainty about the miners’ demands, emphasizing the strategic planning evident in the strike. “To keep more than 2,200 miners underground for any period of time is not a trivial matter,” remarked Theron. The mining industry, grappling with job cuts and plummeting metal prices, faces another blow with this unexpected protest.
Implats has not ruled out the possibility of a larger issue triggering the strike, hinting at a potential internal conflict among union members. Theron acknowledged historically positive labor relations at the Rasimone mine, where the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) represents approximately 80% of the workforce.
The recent illegal strike follows a tragic incident in Rustenburg, where a shaft accident at Impala Platinum Mine claimed the lives of 12 workers in late November. Initially resulting in 11 fatalities, the accident involved a personnel conveyance, or cage, transporting miners that fell down a shaft, injuring at least 75 workers who required hospitalization. One additional worker succumbed to injuries a day later.
Theron expressed the unusual and tragic nature of the incident, highlighting the widespread use of such transportation systems for miners in South Africa and globally. The conveyance elevator, designed to carry up to 130 people across three levels, was transporting 88 workers to the surface when the unfortunate incident occurred.
