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| By Bokwe | Nov 17th, 2010

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A statement from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) says it is concerned by the deaths of miners, following the death of two miners in accidents yesterday, bringing to four the number of miners who dies this week. The union says it is “infuriated” at comments attributed to the elite Chamber published in the Sowetan that there is a 26% improvement in mine deaths, saying “such views can only come from people who have overly intoxicated themselves with expensive whisky out of the sweat of poor people.” Eric Gcilitshana, the NUM ‘ s National Secretary for Health and Safety said: “We want the Chamber to provide real leadership. We want the Chamber to understand that people are losing lives and therefore there should be no time to brag about “killing a few people” when thousands of families are left destitute” says Gcilitshana.”
The union says the deaths bring into sharp contrast and question the notion of “improved safety in the mines” raised by the Chamber of Mines. One worker died at Buffelsfontein mine owned by Simmer and Jack due to a loco accident. The other mineworker, a rockdrill operator died at Goldfields‘s Driefontein mine outside Carletonville after a rockfall accident. These bring to four the number of mineworkers who lost their lives yesterday.
The NUM says it is “concerned about these deaths and of the malicious lies spread by the Chamber of Mines that only 130 mineworkers died last year when over 167 lost their lives.” It says to date the figures are at over 125.
“We are alarmed that the insensitive Chamber of Mines calls all these deaths ‘improvement’ when breadwinners had died leaving the loved ones to scavenge for food at filthy dumping sites” says Gcilitshana.

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