Families of Lily Mine disaster victims unhappy with mine reopening

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The families of the three miners whose remains are still trapped underground at the Lily Mine near Barberton, Mpumalanga, have expressed displeasure at a proposal to grant previous owners a license to resume operations.

Vantage Goldfields were the owners of mine when part of it collapsed eight years ago, killing the three miners.

Officials from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) have announced that a decision has been taken to grant Vantage Goldfields mining rights.

An inquest into the incident had recommended that some individuals and Vantage Goldfield be held criminally liable.

The Constitutional Court also ordered that the Business Rescue Practitioner should convene a creditors’ meeting to decide the way forward.

Spokesperson for the families, Harry Mazibuko says, “We as families we were surprised because it left us with more questions than answers, because we were sitting with court judgments; one from the Magistrate’s Court in Mbombela, after the inquest and one from the Constitutional Court of which it doesn’t match with what the Minister is proposing.”

“So, we have got more questions, we are not blaming any processes of government as law abiding citizens but we are very much concerned with what the Minister is proposing,” adds Mazibuko.

Families feel betrayed by lack of govt intervention to retrieve loved ones