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Trade union Solidarity today welcomed the announcement by the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) that it would fund Vantage Goldfields’ Lily Mine through the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) but Solidarity also warned the DMR to put its money where its mouth is. This follows after the Deputy Minister of the DMH, Godfrey Oliphant, made the announcement earlier this week.

According to Solidarity Deputy General Secretary Connie Prinsloo, neither the company, nor Solidarity has any further information regarding the promised funding. “Although we have heard about the promised funding of R310 million through the media, no further contact has been made with the company to disclose the terms of the investment,” Prinsloo said.

Prinsloo also said that workers of Lily Mine and the adjacent Barbrook Mine, both owned by Vantage Goldfields, have already been hard hit by the closure of the mines, and the Deputy Minister should not make empty promises at this stage. “At the same time the minister should realise that making yet more empty promises would traumatise the families of the three employees, Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Nkambule and Solomon Nyerende, who have been stuck in the container since February last year, even more,” Prinsloo explained.

Prinsloo also mentioned that the company was exploring other funding options that would help the mine to become productive again, thereby being in a position to pay outstanding monies due to employees.

Issued by Solidarity