Zuko Komisa

The court ruled Lily Mine tragedy was due to the failure of the Government to address illegal mining.
On February 5, 2016, a catastrophic event occurred at Lily Mine in Louisville, near Barberton, when the crown pillar that supported the roof of the third and fourth levels fell. In November 2021, an inquest into their deaths was opened.
Judge Annemarie van der Merwe declared in an inquest ruling on Thursday that the mine was motivated by profit.
She attacked the Department of Minerals, resources, and Energy as well as the police for not upholding their constitutional obligations to safeguard the environment and the general population for the benefit of future generations.
Point of View with Phemelo spoke to Phemelo Motene spoke to Legal Expert Mpumelelo Zikalala, spokesperson for the families, Harry Mazibuko, Mining Analyst David van Wyk, ActionSA Mpumalanga Provincial Chairperson, Thoko Mashiane.
Listen to the full conversation here:
Judge Annemarie van der Merwe said that the company’s failure to ensure on-site worker safety and the police’s failure to assist the mine in combating illicit mining were the reasons behind the workers’ deaths.
She continued by saying that the department’s constitutional duty to ensure that the mine complies with the Mining Act was also broken.
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Legal Expert Mpumelelo Zikalala said the Department was meant to make sure the mine was fully compliant.
“The Department of Minerals and Energy should have taken this initiative much too early, they are the ones who have been entrusted with issuing permits and licenses and are expected to say, wherever you are going to mine you must be able to take care of the environment and the safety which is most important.” said Zikalala
A spokesperson for the families of the three deceased miners, Harry Mazibuko, said that though delayed they appreciate the government’s intervention.
“Today marks 1633 days camping outside the mine, demanding governmental intervention, unfortunately, it has commenced that they finally did.” said Mazibuko



