Engagement between the Mine, Mayor and community

Thabo Ishmael Choledi

The disaster meeting was called by the mine, the mayor, and the community which is affected. As a victim I also had to attend, it was on the 2nd of July on Tuesday 2024. As I was personally at the meeting, I used the opportunity to raise my voice in front of everyone. Before it started, I realized that the meeting didn’t have an agenda. It was only to rob the minds of the desperate ones and also to intimidate them through their situation, An example is that people were threatened that anytime they would stop paying their rentals, and if the contract finishes and they haven’t signed with the mine you will see for yourself.

I feel that the meeting was only to bully the people. I convinced everyone in the meeting to call all relevant departments to come down to us, but the mine refused my suggestion and they elected a few of the community members to go with them to DWS. They want the people to help them talk to DWS to lift some of the restrictions.

For me, it’s a concern and a complaint because what I’ve realised is that the mine wants to use the same community to clear the charges that they are facing and the court case at the NPA. I urge the Bench Marks Foundation to speedily watch their steps and also to come and teach my community about this whole issue, I urge a lot from you my leaders Honourable Hassan Lorgaat please to speedily attend the matter of Jagersfontein.

As the community, we want to see SARS, LABOUR, CCMA, DMRE, DWS, NPA, POLICE, HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, etc, and all relevant departments to come down and partake with us to solve this matter that has violated our rights.

Remember Deputy President Paul Mashatile took my concerns Letter but till today he hasn’t responded to me my concerns. In the letter, was corruption that has taken place, cases that are disappearing from courts, CCMA, and LABOUR our salaries that are being stolen, and also unfair dismissal cases also disappeared. Our biggest concern is the district cooperative Maganazation Agricultural, also stolen, and the issue of the UNION that is in the mine that the Minister says is not a mine. We see the National Union of Mineworkers on-site and misleading and misusing the workers the whole time, now I think it’s time for us to sit down and talk about this whole confusion that is taking place and people are dead.