‘Zwane fights battles of mine workers’

Johannesburg - The article by your newspaper last weekend, “Zwane accused of fighting Gupta battles”, tells a story with a pre-determined outcome in mind: Find anything to use in casting the mineral resources minister in a negative light and project him as someone beholden to certain individuals.

One of the primary responsibilities of the mineral resources minister and his department is to ensure mine health and safety, especially in the context of mine accidents which we continue to witness.

The section of the Mine Health and Safety Act (section 54) used in this regard is a legitimate, legal instrument which predates Mosebenzi Zwane’s tenure as minister and was agreed to after an extensive consultation process which included all stakeholders.

The inspection at the Royal Bafokeng mine was not the first nor will it be the last, as the department plans to embark on an intensive mine health and safety campaign to combat the menace of mine accidents and deaths associated with these accidents.

Just at the beginning of this month, similar inspections were carried out at another mine in Rustenburg and the ministry finds it strange that the Royal Bafokeng inspection should elicit newspaper headlines.

These inspections will be conducted regardless of who the owners are.

And just for the record, the inspections are not a tool used by the minister to fight anyone’s battles, as your article sought to suggest.

The only battles which Minister Zwane fights and will continue to fight are those of mine workers who die while performing their duties underground. It is often the views of these people that go unheard, and your article bears testimony to this.

Out of all the people your journalist interviewed in writing his story, not even a single union leader’s view was published on the matter.

It would have been useful to hear their views on these inspections. Being the critical stakeholder group that they are, it would have been useful to know whether or not they are in support of such actions by the department of mineral resources. But then, for once, their voices didn’t matter.

All that mattered was to cast aspersions on the minister and bring into your story issues that can, at best, be said to be remotely relevant to the main story.

It would be a tragic dereliction of duty the day the department of mineral resources or its minister failed to institute these inspections as provided for in law.

As matters stand, we already have a fatality figure which is seriously worrying and one hopes that we do not find ourselves with a situation where this rate will outstrip last year’s figures. Mine deaths are a reality continuing to confront us and the sooner we act in putting a stop to this scourge, the better.

Minister Zwane and his officials will not be deterred by sensationalist headlines which are not informed by the need to save lives.

As the old adage goes: “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”

* Fidel Hadebe is spokesperson for the ministry of mineral resources.

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