BARBERTON – In the weeks leading up to the Lily Mine disaster, illegal mining activities became a serious concern for management and various plans were put in place to address the issue. A mere two days before the crown-pillar collapse, it is believed that illegal miners (zama zamas) did blasting in the mine.
This week CEO of Vantage Goldfields, Mr Mike McChesney, confirmed that he received information at the end of January which indicated that there was a spike in illegal activity at the mine.
The information came from Mr Johnny Kerswill, MD of Hi-Tech Security Lowveld, who shared the intelligence he had received with the company. On February 3 Kerswill received further information about groups entering the mine with explosives. On February 4 he informed McChesney again about the developments.
A section of crown pillar collapsed on the morning of February 5 and the sinkhole swallowed a lamp-room container with three employees inside. According to informants, illegal miners used old ventilation shafts to get out from underground for days after the collapse.
Also read: Solidarity has no business at Lily Mine, management says
This week Kerswill showed Lowvelder a security report that his company compiled which indicated that illegals used a certain modus operandi. It was believed that they entered the mine shortly after blasting, during the safety period, and then mined for gold.
The possibility that illegal miners corrupted people to assist them was also being investigated. During blasting, explosives were usually booked out from the magazine and excess explosives were then locked up in specific bins underground for later use.
Illegals stole explosives from these bins. It was further reported that they were even stolen from holes drilled into the rock face before blasting. A few kingpins of these illegal-mining rings have been identified.
Operations director of Vantage Goldfields, Mr Mike Begg, said it was possible that illegal blasting could have impacted the stability of the area, but that the mine was not going to speculate about anything. It will await the outcome of the investigations. “There is a scientific reason why it collapsed and the experts will get to the bottom of it, as it could be any number of things,” he said.
Begg also said there is an ongoing investigation into the activities of zama zamas and their links to accomplices. “I can confirm that we were acting on the information we received. Activities started peaking in December 2015 and we were on it,” he said.
Also read: Is human error behind the collapse at Lily Mine?
Meanwhile the company ended the business relationship with its security company on Friday. McChesney didn’t want to elaborate on the reasons. Hi-Tech Security Lowveld provided short-term support during the weekend and on Saturday night cross-fire between members of the security company and illegal miners ensued. Kerswill confirmed that one of Hi-Tech’s vehicles rolled during the confrontation and that a security officer was slightly injured but escaped with his life. The mine has increased security on its premises.
When questioned about the recovery operation, both McChesney and Begg told Lowvelder that they were positive that they would reach the container within the next few months and bring closure for the families of Ms Pretty Mabuza,
Mr Solomom Nyarende and Ms Yvonne Mnisi. Mine management was also grateful that there were not more fatalities. “What has not widely been reported is that 75 workers managed to survive the accident and were evacuated safely by following normal safety procedures,” said McChesney. He said it was extremely important to remain positive as the mine provided work to more than 650 employees. This has a major economic impact on the Barberton district.
“We are investigating new funding opportunities for the mine and are currently talking to interested parties. We need to make sure that operations continue,” he said. Concerning Solidarity’s claims last week and whether they wanted to give further comment, McChesney said that the union had no official recognition at the mine and that its local representative resigned last week. “We have spoken to all the unions that represent workers at the mine, as well as stakeholders and government. We are still waiting for evidence of affidavits from Solidarity which apparently indicate wrongdoing, but have not received anything. It is a sad truth that their unfounded claims have harmed us,” McChesney concluded.
