FORMER Lily Mine workers stormed out of a meeting organised by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) at Louisville, in Mpumalanga on Wednesday, 10 January.
The meeting was at a community hall less than five kilometres from Lily Mine.
It was organised to give feedback about progress made to re-open the mine.
National leaders of Cosatu, including the president, Zingiswa Losi and secretary general, Solly Phetoe, were held hostage by the disgruntled former workers, demanding them to call Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe.
Police had to use force to open the main gate of the centre.
A former worker, Patrick Mashaba, told Daily Sun they were unhappy with the progress report as it hasn't brought anything new besides what they know.
"They should have consulted us before they came here to get a way forward on how to assist us, what is their position for them to intervene in the space of Lily Mine," he said.
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He said that they were informed that ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula would come to the area and engage with the workers because he promised them during last year's May Day that the mine would reopen after three months.
"After that, he didn't come to us as ex-employees. He only brought the leadership of Cosatu which is telling us story after story. We are tired of the same stories."
Another former worker, Siboniso Mashaba, said politicians have been coming to sing the same slogan.
He said Cosatu leaders came in 2023 and made promises, and now they were back to lie to them again.
"The report they have is not a report, they are here to mess with our minds. They must come back when they have a proper plan, for now they are playing with 8ur minds."
Phetoe said the federation has been working to ensure the mine reopens.
"The community is divided, but who is suffering in the end? The same community is suffering. We have been here even before the January 8 statement.
"After May Day I was here, I came to this province to meet with certain stakeholders, but you know when a person sees the masses, he becomes a populist as if he speaks on behalf of the people. He mustn't speak on behalf of the people," he said.
