Rustenburg —At least 167 miners have resurfaced from the Impala’s Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine in Rustenburg, although the protest still rages on, as matters remain unresolved.
Operations at the mine were suspended in two shafts when 2 205 miners started an “illegal underground protest”, and at the time, reasons for the protest were yet to be determined as management said they were keeping a close eye on events.
The protests continued into day two (Tuesday 199 December) as many families feared for the safety of the miners who enclosed themselves 500 metres underground. Initial reports suggested that 63 miners had come up during the night due to difficult conditions.
According to a Impala Platinum Holdings (Implats), 167 miners had resurfaced on Tuesday evening, with 2 038 staying underground. It is believed that the reason behind the is principally among employees relating to misinterpretations and misunderstandings brought to the fore due to a change in ownership at Impala Bafokeng Ostensibly.
The miners say they want promised bonuses and pension fund payments, and some said they had been suspended before the protest started for holding unauthorised labour meetings.
It is with grave concern Implats reports that the illegal underground protest at Impala Bafokeng remains unresolved. As at 19h00, 167 employees had safely returned to surface and approximately 2 038 employees were still underground. Please read the statement for more. pic.twitter.com/YcGFgNQrgs
— Implats (@Implats) December 19, 2023
“The group’s primary focus remains the health , safety and security of our employees. Impala Bafokeng has implemented targeted emergency measures to safeguard the wellbeing of those participating in the illegal protest, voluntarily or under duress. In addition, Support measures for concerned family members and friends have been introduced,” Implats said.
Implats said issues at stake for the protest ringleaders included the view that accumulated pension fund balances of employees can be paid out to employees, that statutory taxation provisions should not apply to award and/or bonus payments, and concerns over the historical employee profit share arrangement being converted, at the election of employees, into an employee share ownership trust.
The company said it was willing to engage in constructive negotiations to settle the dispute.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
