The workers say it’s so painful to imagine that just 5 years ago they could afford to buy food for themselves and their families, even cars, but all that has now come to an end.
Coal miner Liberty Coal has donated hundreds of grocery vouchers to scores of unemployed men and women who are affected by the political deadlock at Optimum Coal Mine.
The company was stopped by the NPA from reopening the mine in Hendrina early this year.
The two are currently wrestling each other in court over the soul of Africa’s biggest coal mine.
ALSO SEE: NUM believes NPA is playing politics
The mine was closed and placed under business rescue in February 2018 after its owners, the Gupta family, fled South Africa following wide-spread allegations of corruption.
This also follows a major initiative by the South African banks to shut down all accounts belonging to the controversial family, crying that they had been witnessing some alleged dubious transactions – where billions of rands flew from one account to the next and back, leading the banks to shut down the accounts, leaving workers at Optimum without salaries.
Soon afterwards the business rescue practitioners decided to sell the mine to any bidder so that it could reopen and workers could have income again.
ALSO SEE: Glencore sponsors soccer programmes
Liberty Coal, owned by British multi-millionaire Daniel McGowan, bid successfully to become the buyer and re-opener of mine and got a mining licence from the department of mineral resources but this was stopped by the NPA in March 2022 when it accused McGowan of being a Gupta associate and of trying to acquire the mine for the Guptas through the backdoor.
The NPA wants the mine to be forfeited to the state before anybody can buy but this is not sitting well with the workers who have been without income since the impasse began, about 5 years ago…
Scores of former miners attended a Liberty Coal event where they were given food parcels as well as grocery vouchers. Most of the workers will get recurring vouchers for the next three months to help them make ends meet. The company also donated stationery packs to the workers.
The company said what is happening to the workers it’s unfair and someone out there should feel the pain.
The workers say it’s so painful to imagine that just 5 years ago they could afford to buy food for themselves and their families, even pay for their cars and children’s schooling and now all that has ended.
“Some of us have lost everything, even our homes,” one of the workers said.
(edited by MLM)
Send tip-offs to editor@013.co.za
