Chester Makana
Workers at the Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine between Burgersfort and Lydenburg in Limpopo have refused to go underground for the day and night shifts after one of their workers tested positive for COVID-19.
Inside Politics has seen a copy of a memorandum signed by the mine’s general manager Rian Burger on Monday informing employees of the positive test.
“The affected person was detected during the screening process on the 29 April 2020, prior the commencement of the shift,” the memo reads.
According to the company, the affected employee’s last shift was on March 26 and she never visited the mine since the commencement of the nationwide lockdown.
“On 29 April 2020 prior the commencement of the shift, the employee was subjected to the screening process, as part of the return to work protocols. During the screening process the employee presented with signs and symptoms of flu and was then referred to the mine’s clinic for further screening. The employee was subsequently referred for COVID-19 testing on the same day (29 April 2020) and the results came back as positive on 03 May 2020,” Burger said in the memo.
He said the employee has been in self-isolation since April 29 and that relevant government departments have been informed of the case and will assist with the management process thereof.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) yesterday called on government to ensure that operations are suspended until stakeholders are satisfied on safety measures.
The union’s north-east regional secretary Philip Mankge said this was a clear case that the company was only interested in profit than safety of workers.
“We are concerned that the lives of our members are not considered because they receive the results and to our surprise they allowed a shift to go underground on Monday,” said Mankge
On Tuesday, a day shift and a night shift refused to go underground, citing safety concerns.
Mankge said this was only when the company started to engage workers on the issue.
Mankge said they are afraid that the employee mingled with other members and might have had other employees infected.
“DCIM will do what is reasonable possible to assist the employee, DCIM will immediately through our wellness office, commence with the contract tracing process in order to identify those may have come into contact with the affected employee,” said Dwarsrivier mine in a an internal memo.
The mine’s management were still locked in meeting with officials from the Department of Mineral Resources and trade unions on Tuesday afternoon.
The case comes a week after the Association for Mining and Construction Union won a case in the Labour Court in Johannesburg that mining companies to enforce a code of practice for all workers during COVID-19.
