The nearly 2000 mineworkers at the Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine outside Rustenburg in the North West have resurfaced after three days underground.
The miners staged a sit-in demanding that their dividend shares and pension funds from their previous employer be immediately paid into their accounts.
“The protest action, initially involving 2 205 employees, began at the North and South shafts on Monday.
By 14h50 today (Wednesday) all North Shaft employees had returned to surface and by 17h05 all South Shaft employees had returned to surface, with all 2 205 employees who initially participated in the protest now safely on surface,” read a statement from Implats, which owns the mine.
The mine emphasised that its primary focus over the past few days was on ensuring the health, safety and security of the employees who were participating in the illegal protest.
“Implats is grateful the protest action concluded swiftly and without safety incidents given it occurred in the operation’s underground workings, in breach of safety regulations, and against a background of increasing incidents of a similar nature at other mining companies,” added the statement.
Implats said it is commitment to constructive and mutually respectful employee engagement, and hope that it’ll meet with the workers representative soon.
The company is hopeful that it will safely complete the planned operational shutdown at Impala Bafokeng ahead of the upcoming Christmas break.
It however stressed that disciplinary measures will be instituted against all those involved in the illegal strike and will secure the sustainability of the operation amid the low metal price environment.
