This, after he was charged with contravening the Disaster Management Act for recalling about 6,000 employees back to work on Tuesday. Charges against Munroe came amidst Amcu’s growing safety concerns for workers returning to work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The mining union’s president, Joseph Mathunjwa, has made clearing calls for the establishment of a national task team consisting of experts from the Health Department, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and mine companies, to ensure that mines adhere to Occupational Health and Safety standards and that plans are in place to protect workers returning to work as the country still battles to flatten the Covid-19 curve.
The number of confirmed cases now stands at 2605 with 48 deaths. Mineral Resources and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe, on Thursday during a ministerial media briefing announced amended regulations for the mining sector. He outlined that a gradual process of returning mines to work during the lockdown will now unfold.
Whilst coal mines, especially those supplying coal to Eskom, will continue operating at full capacity, others will gradually ramp up production and return to normalised levels late in May.
He highlighted that they will meanwhile be expected to ramp up production under strict conditions to ensure that workers do not contract Covid-19. – KATLEHO MORAPELA/OFM News
