THE once busy Central Rand Gold (CRG) mine in Johannesburg resembled a ghost town yesterday after workers were told to go home following the government's decision to shut it down.
Mine workers at CRG were informed by the authorities after their arrival at work that operations at the shaft would be halted until further notice.
Worried workers waited patiently at the company's entrance yesterday morning to hear what management had to say about the news that the mine had been shut down.
CRG, owned by ex-convicts Kenny Kunene and Gayton McKenzie, was shut down on Monday by Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu.
Shabangu accused the mine of, among other reasons, failing to comply with its undertakings on a number of aspects, including social and environmental ones.
A miner who asked not to be named said: "We have been here since 6am, and the only word from management is that we should wait at the gate until further notice. There is no official comment yet and our families and friends are worried.
"The news of our mine being shut down is all over the news and we don't know what to tell our relatives, who are worried about our future."
Another worker said: "What we are most worried about is that Christmas is just around the corner, and my kids have been requesting all sorts of gifts.
"How am I expected to look at them in the face and say: you can't get anything for Christmas because daddy is no longer working?"
Mine chief executive Johan du Toit who yesterday described the government's move to shut down the mine as a "big mistake", called a staff meeting at 10am, where he broke the sad news. But Du Toit urged workers not to worry as their lawyers would challenge the mine's closure in court.
While he was busy addressing the workers, a group of employees who left the mine before its closure came to celebrate the news.
They accused Kunene of betraying their trust with his failure to keep his promises.
"Kenny was very poor in 2008 when he visited our homes saying the entire area would benefit from the mine," Maxwell Dihutso, a former employee, said. "We were hired and promised R7,000 salaries a month, only to be fired a year later."
Another former worker, Palesa Mothibi, said: "The mine also prevented us from joining unions, and anyone who complained about the unsafe working conditions was fired."
McKenzie refuted claims that Kunene owned the mine, saying he worked there as an employee.
"What brought that mine down was the involvement of the BEE partners who had zero knowledge about running the mine," he told e-news last night.
Kunene declined to comment.
Miners face bleak Christmas
THE once busy Central Rand Gold (CRG) mine in Johannesburg resembled a ghost town yesterday after workers were told to go home following the government's decision to shut it down.
Mine workers at CRG were informed by the authorities after their arrival at work that operations at the shaft would be halted until further notice.
Worried workers waited patiently at the company's entrance yesterday morning to hear what management had to say about the news that the mine had been shut down.
CRG, owned by ex-convicts Kenny Kunene and Gayton McKenzie, was shut down on Monday by Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu.
Shabangu accused the mine of, among other reasons, failing to comply with its undertakings on a number of aspects, including social and environmental ones.
A miner who asked not to be named said: "We have been here since 6am, and the only word from management is that we should wait at the gate until further notice. There is no official comment yet and our families and friends are worried.
"The news of our mine being shut down is all over the news and we don't know what to tell our relatives, who are worried about our future."
Another worker said: "What we are most worried about is that Christmas is just around the corner, and my kids have been requesting all sorts of gifts.
"How am I expected to look at them in the face and say: you can't get anything for Christmas because daddy is no longer working?"
Mine chief executive Johan du Toit who yesterday described the government's move to shut down the mine as a "big mistake", called a staff meeting at 10am, where he broke the sad news. But Du Toit urged workers not to worry as their lawyers would challenge the mine's closure in court.
While he was busy addressing the workers, a group of employees who left the mine before its closure came to celebrate the news.
They accused Kunene of betraying their trust with his failure to keep his promises.
"Kenny was very poor in 2008 when he visited our homes saying the entire area would benefit from the mine," Maxwell Dihutso, a former employee, said. "We were hired and promised R7,000 salaries a month, only to be fired a year later."
Another former worker, Palesa Mothibi, said: "The mine also prevented us from joining unions, and anyone who complained about the unsafe working conditions was fired."
McKenzie refuted claims that Kunene owned the mine, saying he worked there as an employee.
"What brought that mine down was the involvement of the BEE partners who had zero knowledge about running the mine," he told e-news last night.
Kunene declined to comment.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos