Planned marches at Mtubatuba’s Somkhele coal mine

In the wake of retrenchments at Somkhele mine in Mtubatuba, marches raising a variety of issues are in the pipeline.

The oPhondweni Directly Affected Communities (PDAC) organisation and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have announced their intention to march to the mine.

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PDAC chairperson Mandla Ngcobo told the Zululand Observer that their march is planned for Thursday, starting at 9am, and the main issue the organisation seeks clarity on is why the families that signed relocation agreements with the mine have not been paid.

According to Tendele Coal Mining business development manager Nathi Kunene, the mass retrenchments are a result of the mine curtailing operations because ‘it is simply running out of coal as it has no other areas to mine’.

Kunene previously told the ZO that a factor hindering the mine from accessing its future mining area was that it had not concluded relocation agreements with 10 of the 143 families located on land on which the mine could expand.

Eight of those families are based in oPhondweni, Inkosi Luke Mkhwanazi of the traditional council previously told the ZO.

Ngcobo said 54 of the families with whom the mine has reached and signed relocation agreements have not been compensated to date, and

Thursday’s march was to demand answers.

‘We want the mine to continue operating in the area. We are prepared to relocate but they must pay us first,’ Ngcobo said.

Ngcobo said other organisations and retrenched workers will be part of the march.

NUM, which said its march is meant to raise ‘public awareness that these anticipated job losses will lead to poverty and other social challenges’, said the date for its planned march will be announced in due course.