Johannesburg - The Aurora mining company has been crowned the worst
employer for the second year running, trade union Solidarity said on
Tuesday.
Although competition was stiff, "the decision to award
the worst employer prize to Aurora was obvious", spokesperson Ilze
Nieuwoudt said.
The awards are an annual event and the union has prizes
in four categories: employer incentive for good performance, employees
of the year, worst boss of the year and worst employer of the year.
Aurora beat suspended national police commissioner
General Bheki Cele, Denel Group executive head Talib Sadik, former Land
Bank head Philemon Mohlahlane, and former crime intelligence boss Joey
Mabasa - who was named worst boss of the year.
Aurora Empowerment Systems is headed by, among others,
Zondwa Mandela, a grandson of former president Nelson Mandela, and
Khulubuse Zuma, a nephew of President Jacob Zuma.
The company's directors are accused of destroying and
selling off infrastructure at the Grootvlei and Orkney mines, causing
the loss of more than 5 300 jobs and pocketing R122m from selling
the mine's gold while it was still under their management.
The "employees of the year" award was given to the workers who completed the Gautrain project.
Others nominated in the category included employees of
Kumba Iron Ore, private security companies, conservationists, game
rangers and South African police members fighting to save rhinos from
being poached.
The "Willing Walkers" award was given to the 109 469
fieldworkers and 25 884 supervisors for the national census, Nieuwoudt
said.
The "Waste with a Will" award was given to the defence
department's acquisition arm Armscor for "sending top officials
overseas to a ball, despite the fact that Armscor has already received
government bailouts of R1.6bn over the past three years".