Gauteng’s Blyvoor mine counts R30m in lost output, with no end in sight to union impasse

First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.

In the more than three weeks since protesters shut operations at the Blyvoor mine near Carletonville, mine management says R30-million and counting has been lost in production. There is still no end in sight to the impasse, which appears to be rooted in union rivalry. And a worker from another mining company was shot dead execution-style this week near Blyvoor Village, though it is not clear whether the incident is related to the saga at the Blyvoor mine.

“A bit of surface work has been done, but no underground work at all,” a mine manager told DM168. A DM168 photographer who visited the mine this week saw small-scale mining being conducted on the surface.

“Our workers are being intimidated every night and three of our employees were assaulted and forced out of their homes in Blyvoor Village this week, all of their belongings thrown out with them,” the manager said. Managers who have spoken to DM168 have done so on condition their names are not used because of concerns about their safety.

Tensions have been on the boil at the Blyvoor gold mine since the March 2 murder of Wels Sempe, a company director who was also leader of the Blyvoor Workers’ Union (BWU). He was gunned down while his bakkie was halted at a four-way crossing, in a killing that has all the hallmarks of a hit. Several senior BWU members are in hiding.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) claims the BWU is a management front that workers have been forced to join. The company alleges the NUM members – notably 60 who have been dismissed for taking part in a wildcat or unprotected strike – have been waging a campaign of intimidation. And in the background are suspicions that illegal miners or zama-zamas are involved.

“In all fairness, the NUM must leave us alone ’cause we are hungry and we want jobs,” a local who works at the mine told DM168’s photographer.

On Thursday, the NUM’s court appeal against the dismissals was postponed until 7 June, leaving that piece in the puzzle unresolved. An interdict instructing the police to prevent NUM members from blocking the mine or assaulting or intimidating staff remains unenforced, Blyvoor management claims. The police have not responded to repeated requests for comment on the matter.

Shaft 6 of the Blyvooruitzicht gold mine outside Carltonville. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)

Small-scale operations have resumed at the mine. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)