THE families of the Bafokeng Rasimone Impala mineworkers who have been underground since Monday, 18 December are worried about the situation.
More than 2 000 mineworkers are still underground and their families have been outside the mine since Tuesday, 19 December hoping that mine management will agree to the workers' demands.
The mine has since suspended all operations at the mine two shafts.
Tebogo Tau from Robega Village in North West, who is waiting for her husband to resurface, said they are extremely worried.
She said they saw ambulances taking away some of the workers.
“Our husbands were promised bonuses and pension fund payments. The mine is refusing to send food underground and that is frustrating us because we are worried about their condition,” she said.
Nomsa Mfulozi, whose husband is also underground, said she was hoping mine management would speed up negotiations. “We don’t know if they have eaten. Some of them are on medication. My children are asking where their father is,” she said.
Impala confirmed that the illegal underground protest at Impala Bafokeng remains unresolved.
“Our 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,” said Impala spokesman, Johan Theron.
“One hundred and sixty-seven employees safely returned to surface and approximately 2 038 employees are still underground. At this stage, it appears the underlying source of contention which has motivated the illegal underground protest is principally among employees and relates to several misinterpretations and misunderstandings brought to the fore by the recent change in ownership at Impala Bafokeng.
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“Ostensibly, these views are shared by those initiating the illegal protest action and include the view that accumulated pension fund balances of employees can be paid out to employees, a view that statutory taxation provisions should not apply to award and/or bonus payments and concerns pertaining to the historical employee profit share arrangement being converted at the election of employees into an employee share ownership trust,” said Theron.
Theron said Implats Impala Bafokeng management has facilitated underground access for the regional leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) to engage with its members and is working with the union leadership towards a resolution to the protest action.
Meanwhile, the families chased away a vehicle at the entrance belonging to NUM official. They demanded that he address them and got angry.
