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Johannesburg - A mining company owned by Limpopo Premier
Cassel Mathale's wife, Mokgadi Kgohloane, was shut down amid accusations that
the company kept a fatal injury of a worker a secret, according to a newspaper
report on Thursday.
Blue Platinum Ventures 16, trading as Batlhanine Brick Yard,
at Ga-Rakoma village, outside Tzaneen was closed by the department of mineral
resources last month, The Star reported.
Kgohloane and Matome Maponya are listed as company's
directors, and Maponya is also the CEO.
Maponya was arrested and released on a culpable homicide
charge on August 4. He was arrested with Philemon Maake, the driver of the
tractor that killed Peter Malatjie.
Malatjie was run over by a tractor on July 27, and died
eight days later on August 4.
Maponya told the newspaper that Maake was allowed to drive
the tractor despite the fact that he did not have a drivers' licence.
"But he has a competency certificate, which allows him
to drive on the site, and not on the public road," said Maponya.
The company did not report Malatjie's injury and death to
the department - even though the Mine Health and Safety Act compels mining
companies to report incidents that result in "serious injuries, illness or
death" to the principal inspector of mines at the department.
"It was more of a lack of knowledge of the (Mine Health
and Safety) act," Maponya said.
According to The Star Mathale and wife refused to comment.
