THE National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called on Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe to revoke the mining rights of Sibanye-Stillwater.
The union said it had always been its view that the company was the major destroyer of jobs in the mining industry in South Africa.
NUM general secretary William Mabapa said black mineworkers had been on strike for almost three months, demanding a mere R1 000 and 6% increase in living wages.
“Sibanye-Stillwater continues to show workers the middle finger. The company is even boasting it has enough money to fight a strike and stop production for years, which on its own gives the minister power to suspend or cancel rights, permits or permissions to mine,” he said.
Mabapa said NUM was not shocked or surprised that Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman threatened to retrench workers because of the current gold sector strike.
NUM and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) have been on strike over wage demands at Sibanye’s gold mines in Gauteng and the Free State.
Last week, Mantashe warned that his department could cancel the company’s mining rights after Froneman said he had the money to resist the strike for years.
Sibanye spokesman James Wellsted told Fin24 the company had noted the comments made by Mantashe as well as the statement released by the union.
“We will engage with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy if this prospect is formally raised with the group but reserve our right to protect the interests of our stakeholders through appropriate legal channels,” he said.
Mabapa said his union would be fully supporting Mantashe when he starts the process of revoking Sibanye’s licence.
“We are calling for Mantashe not to capitulate when threatened with legal action by this evil company.
It is quite clear that there is a basis for that. Sibanye-Stillwater currently does not want to mine any longer. It is arrogantly sitting on top of the properties of minerals, preventing other potential companies from mining,” he said.
