Sibanye mine must stay shut‚ says Numsa

The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) on Friday called for a shutdown of Sibanye-Stillwater's Beatrix mine in the Free State until it can ensure the safety of workers.

The call follows a power outage that left 950 workers trapped underground. The miners were all rescued on Friday morning.

"Numsa is demanding that Beatrix Mine remain shut until workers' safety can be guaranteed ... Numsa is demanding that Sibanye Stillwater Beatrix Mine should remain shut pending a full investigation‚" the union said in a statement on Friday.

"Mine workers in South Africa give up their lives to work in a profession which continues to treat them with disdain and disrespect. The mining industry in South Africa has shown that it does not value the life of an African worker at all."

The union cited the example of Yvonne Mnisi‚ Pretty Nkambule and Solomon Nyerende‚ who were trapped underground at Lily Mine in Mpumalanga in 2016 and whose bodies were never recovered.

"Every year since 2012 over 70 people have died underground as a result of mining accidents. That’s because the industry has no interest in improving safety conditions underground. They pursue profits before the well being and safety of workers‚" Numsa said.

"We are calling on the Department of Mineral Resources to do a thorough investigation before allowing the mine to continue its usual operations. They must also investigate why the mine seemingly did not have a back-up generator when the power outage occurred."