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Operations are set to resume tonight at RBM’s troubled Sokhulu mine at KwaMbonambi near Richard’s Bay after production was shut down by management on Saturday in response to violent protests by community members over jobs and development projects.
Angry residents of Sokhulu and Mbuyazi had closed access roads to the Rio Tinto-owned mine on Friday and firebombed four mine vehicles at the end of a week of protests aimed at forcing the company to employ more residents of the two communities, on whose ancestral land the dune mining operation has been taking place for the past 40 years.
On April 25 a forum of job-seekers had staged a protest march demanding that more than the current 400 residents of Mbuyazi and 160 Sokhulu residents currently employed by the company be skilled and hired.
RBM has a permanent workforce of 2000 people and another 2000 contract workers who are employed by a number of labour brokers retained by the company. Most of the workers are drawn from Esikhawini, the township at nearby Empangeni, Lesotho and Durban.
A series of meetings held with the department of mineral resources to try and resolve the impasse failed, leading to last week’s violent protest in which two residents of Sokhulu were arrested.
RBM spokesperson Fundi Dlamini told City Press today that, following meetings with the two communities yesterday and today, led by provincial Economic Development MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu, an agreement for a return to work had been reached.
“After successfully engaging with both the Mbonambi [Mbuyazi] and Sokhulu communities, we resolved the community challenge. We agreed on certain action items that will be implemented over the coming weeks and all parties committed toward resuming operations to normal,” said Dlamini.
She said that a team had been set up, led by Mabuyakhulu and including representatives from business, government, RBM, traditional leaders and the communities.
City Press understands that it will look at revising the company’s contribution to community development projects, skills provision, and employment and contracting opportunities.
She said the night shift had been asked to report tonight, with “business as usual” from tomorrow morning.
“Access routes to RBM will be safe for use as committed by community stakeholders,” said Dlamini.
RBM’s troubled Sokhulu mine
However, there are some security concerns after community members walked out of a meeting called by Mabuyakhulu to put forward the proposals to end the conflict and address community demands.
NUM spokesperson Bhekani Ngcobo told City Press workers would meet in Richards Bay tomorrow morning to discuss whether or not it was safe to return to work before going on shift. They would also be discussing management’s no-work-no-pay policy for contractors and the decisions that full-time staff would have to take paid leave. NUM has a 70% majority at RBM.
“Workers will first meet tomorrow morning to discuss the safety situation at the plant and the decision by management to force them to take leave and to not pay. We met management from 11am to 4pm yesterday as we want them to pay workers for the time of the shut down. We are also not sure that the situation is normal. They are not going to start work until after they meet to discuss those issues,’’ Ngcobo said.
A burnt machine at RBM’s troubled Sokhulu mine
