A prayer was held ahead of the Lily Mine commemoration in remembrance of Pretty Nkambule, Yvonne Mnisi and Solomon Nyirenda. The three were trapped underground when the mine collapsed nine years ago. To this day their remains have not been retrieved. “When this time comes, it becomes difficult on the family’s side because it brings
A prayer was held ahead of the Lily Mine commemoration in remembrance of Pretty Nkambule, Yvonne Mnisi and Solomon Nyirenda. The three were trapped underground when the mine collapsed nine years ago. To this day their remains have not been retrieved.
“When this time comes, it becomes difficult on the family’s side because it brings those memories. It brings those memories, like I remember very well on the February 5, 2016, that my daughter Yvonne was wearing this and was having this as a meal for a day. But till today, I’ve never seen her again. So it brings those memories. It’s an emotional day,” says Harry Mazibuko speaking on behalf of the families.
An inquest conducted by the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court a few years ago found that illegal mining led to the collapse of the mine. The court also found that owners of the mine, and different institutions such as the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), as well as the SAPS, should be held responsible.
The Inquest record was then referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Mazibuko says they are concerned nothing much has happened since then.
“Our government was saying and is still saying nothing about what happened here at Lily Mine regarding the retrieval of the container with Yvonne Pretty and Solomon. Because 2017, the very same government under DMRE conducted a Section 72 inquiry. And the recommendations, that report is there. It recommends a prosecution for the mine management because apparently they were warned by mining experts, your rock engineer, that they must consider shifting the entrance of the mine because it’s not reliable. They didn’t take that. But till today, there’s no prosecution.”
Amongst those who will take part in this year’s commemoration is Sihle Makhoba, a poet from Ngwavuma in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Basically, I was touched and inspired by my SABC radio station, which motivated me a lot to come out with the poem. Basically we are knocking on a door of the government and the mining authorities as well. Why is it taking so long for them to retrieve the container that is trapped underground in Lily Mine? As we saw in Stilfontein, the illegal miners were retrieved.”
Meanwhile, some community members have accused political parties of using the tragic incident to garner votes.
“Since the mine collapsed many years ago, it remained closed. So we don’t want people who will come to campaign there.”
“We are tired of people coming here to campaign. We have been jobless for almost ten years now, since the mine collapsed.”
Some of the residents have threatened to embark on a protest action to demonstrate their frustration ahead of the commemoration.
Original Story by www.sabcnews.com
Leave a Comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *