Business production normally suffer the costs of the time spent while an injured person was being attended to during working hours.
Coal mining giant Exxaro has recorded a period of just over 2 years of fatality-free production at all of its mines.
The company said it experienced no fatalities in the past 29 months.
But in an individual mine like Matla situated in Kriel and Leeuwpan in Delmas the story is even better to tell. The company enjoys 21 (Matla) and 29 (Leeuwpan) of fatality-free years.
Exxaro boss Mxolisi Mgojo said the positivity shown in the lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) at their operations continued to decline over the past years.
“Any potential decline in the group’s LTIFR trend will effectively be arrested by intensified safety initiatives at all operations to ensure that Exxaro’s commendable safety record continues,” Mgojo said.
He said that they aim for “zero harm” to workers and ensuring no production time is lost while an injured or fatally wounded worker is being attended to on site.
Exxaro will now put stricter measures to ensure contractors and sub-contractors continue to adhere to “risk management” rules and “mitigate any further impact on production or sales performances”.
Close to a billion rand was pumped in to upgrade the existing the provincial hospital.
One of Mpumalanga’s largest hospitals, Rob Ferreira, is set to be first hospital in the province to treat cancer.
Upgraded before the 2010 World Cup, the tertiary hospital situated in Mbombela currently specialises in eye care, medical care for the old, childbirth, rehabilitation and surgery.
Both Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane and health MEC Sasekani Manzini will next week (27 Aug) launch the cancer treatment service at the hospital.
Spokesman Dumisani Malamule said the health department “identified a need for an oncology treatment centre that will offer chemotherapy services” at the hospital.
He said the need for the cancer treatment comes as a result of Mpumalanga patients finding themselves forced to travel long distance to Gauteng in order to be treated at the Steve Biko academic hospital in Tshwane.
“The launch will mark the beginning of the end of suffering to the majority of cancer patients who used to travel long distance to Steve Biko academic hospital in Gauteng, which is more than 300km away to get oncology services,” said Malamulele in a statement.
Mtshweni-Tsipane and Manzini are expected to arrive at the hospital at 9 in the morning to officially open the cancer center.
He was charged with her kidnapping and subsequent murder which resulted in her body parts taken away, allegedly for muthi.
One of the four men accused of killing 13-year-old Gabisile Shabane last year January, Themba Thobane, has pleaded guilty, admitting to the Mpumalanga high court that he was guilty as charged.
The other three, Thokozani Msibi, Knowledge Mhlanga and Brilliant Mkhize pleaded not guilty to the cruel killing of the eMalahlen teenager living with Albinism, as well as her nephew, 1-year-old Nkosikhona on the Sunday night of 28 January 2018.
The state has now separated the case – with Thobane, the man who pleaded guilty Monday mid-day 20 August 2019, waiting for his sentence. The three will return to court in May 2020 to prove to the court they never played any part in the killing Gabisile when their trial begins at the high court sitting in Middelburg.
They face a string of charges, kidnapping with the “intent to commit murder” and pointing anything “that makes another person believes it’s a firearm”.
ALSO SEE: Man confesses to police he used Gabisile Shabane’s body parts for muthi
Judge Segopotje Mphahlele on Monday mid-day making a ruling after Thobane has pleaded guilty said the killing of the children was “premidiated” and was “committed by a group of persons to unlawfully remove any body part”.
Community members and groupings from traditional and political organisations, including the ANC, DA and EFF came to show support for the late Gabisile Shabane, the girl from the township of Hlalanikahle in the eMalahleni area who was kidnapped and gruesomely killed together with her nephew Nkosikhona for muthi
Msibi, Mhlanga and Mkhize’s trial will last from 25 May to 12 June 2020. They all remain in custody, including Thobane.
The Judge said Thobane knew “at all material times that the children were to be killed and their bodies used for muthi”.
Social development MEC Thandi Shongwe said they didn’t want anything “less than a life sentence” when sentence is handed down.
“Nothing less,” Shongwe said while addressing the marchers who had come to support Gabisile.
“This judgement should make everybody to respect the life of another person. Tomorrow when you meet a person living albinism you must know that you are meeting a person, a human being like you whose rights to live is contained exactly like yours in the Constitution,” said Shongwe.
ANC acting secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali also attended the case and addressed the crowds outside the Middelburg Magistrates Court.
She said they hoped the suspect who pleaded guilty will assist the rule of law to get to the bottom of the matter.
“No one should abuse another person. As ANC we are saying they must rot in jail. Gabisile and Nkosikhona cannot just die like that, they must stay in,” she said.
The taxi-men currently install what is known as a “gas cylinder” in the minibuses, saying is cheaper than going the petrol way completely.
The SA national taxi council (SANTACO) supports a move that will see the taxi industry dumping petrol for good and embracing new ways that are cheaper.
Its Mpumalanga secretary Simphiwe Sibanyoni is quoted saying they are now happy as this “source of energy” was now available at their “doorsteps”.
The vehicles can be converted to run on gas. Sibanyoni said gas is cheaper than petrol and will allow them to save a lot on money.
“We are excited that this source of energy is now available right at our doorsteps and set to help the industry save money on fuel because gas is cheaper compared to petrol,” Sibanyoni is quoted in the Citizen.
He said they are “looking forward to fully embrace the implementation” of gas.
Gauteng already has gas filling stations. Currently the vehicles in some areas mix both gas and petrol, which is cheaper than when you use petrol alone.
They put what is called a “gas cylinder” in the minibuses, which uses what is called ‘Liquefied Petroleum Gas’ or LPG.
Sibanyoni said this system was now available at their doorsteps.
He described this as a “breakthrough” for the taxi industry.
He is known as a Zuma man in ANC internal battles.
ANC NEC member Bongani Bongo is currently bedridden at a swanky Gauteng hospital.
This paper is busy trying to find out what really landed the ex-spy minister in hospital.
He is said to be at the Waterfall Netcare Hospital in Midrand, next to the Mall of Africa. Sources believe it’s “food poisoning or something of that sort, we’re still trying to find out”.
One government source stationed nationally told the 013NEWS reporter that Bongo, who hails from the Mpumalanga province and a lawyer by profession, is probably spending a second weekend at the Gauteng private hospital.
“I don’t know,” the source said when asked about the issue last night (Friday).
“I heard but please don’t quote me in your newspaper,” another of Bongo’s friends said over a WhatsApp call Saturday morning 17 August 2019.
“I’m currently in contact with his family but I heard there are plans to go visit him,” the source said.
The friend said it is suspected that the man is “very sick” but still it’s unclear what landed him in hospital. They said they suspect it’s “food poisoning or something of that sort,” they said of the Parliamentarian.
A Netcare source confirmed the Mpumalanga lawyer is currently “in our care”.
“Yes, he is Bongani Thomas Bongo. He has been in the ICU since 9 August 2019. One visitor came to see him yesterday (16 Aug). Yes, he is in our care” the hospital official said Saturday night.
The SA national taxi council (SANTACO) supports a move that will see the taxi industry dumping petrol for good and embracing new ways that are cheaper.
