North West community protests over mine not hiring locals

Over 200 residents in North West barricaded the N18 road from Mahikeng to Vryburg with burning tyres on Monday morning.

Community leader Pogisho Dipheko said they have been engaging with the mine since 2015. He said they decided to protest after hearing that the contract of Trollop mining services had ended and that a new company was appointed to take over.

He said Trollop did not hire anyone from their villages. “We have people who can be operators and truck drivers. We told them that they can only hire people with core or critical skills only‚” he said.

Sihle Maake‚ spokesperson for the mine’s owner‚ Harmony‚ said they were addressing the matter.

“The General Manager has engaged with the protesters from 8am this morning to listen to their grievances and another meeting has been scheduled with the leader of the community to engage further to discuss what their requirements are‚” she said.

- SowetanLIVE