KIMBERLEY – The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) have launched an attack on the management of Ekapa Mine following the company’s successful application for provisional liquidation while search operations continue for five missing workers underground.
On 3 March, the High Court in Kimberley placed both Ekapa Minerals (Pty) Ltd and Ekapa Resources (Pty) Ltd under provisional liquidation. The decision has been met with fierce resistance from labour representatives who characterise the move as a “deliberate poverty war” and a callous abandonment of employees during a period of tragedy.
The current crisis was precipitated by a devastating mud rush disaster that…