DURING the 7th commemoration of the Lily Mine tragedy on Sunday, 5 January, Sfiso Mavuso repeated the call they have been making every day for years.
“We don’t want their gold, we just want their remains,” said Mavuso, brother of one of the three miners who died at the mining disaster at the Lily Mine in Louisville, Mpumalanga.
Pretty Nkambule, Solomon Nyirenda and Yvonne Mnisi were in a makeshift office, when the mine collapsed seven years ago. They were lost underground and their bodies were never recovered.
Their families, former workers, the community and ActionSA gathered for the service near their campsite, which is a few metres from the mine’s entrance.
Mavuso told Daily Sun that they were hoping they would soon find closure but still there is nothing.
“We came to camp hoping the government will intervene and that has never happened,” he said.
“But we are still hopeful because there are people who are willing to help us. We don’t want their gold, we just want their remains so that we can bury them with dignity.”
He said it is difficult for them as families to deal with the pain.
“The children are always asking us questions we can’t answer. We used to lie to them but now they are grown up and they want the truth,” he said.
Solomon’s relative Jabulile Nyirenda said they are getting help from potential investors and Action SA president Herman Mashaba.
“We are grateful that we have people like Mashaba, who is helping us and ensuring that the families are well taken care of,” she said
So far, Mashaba has spent over R1 million on legal fees dealing with the retrieval of the remains.
“Government’s role is to ensure that people mine responsibly in South Africa. But they say this is a private matter and they can’t intervene. As Action SA, we will not rest until the remains of the three Lily Mine victims are retrieved,” he said.
