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Lily miners compensated

The husband of one of the two female mineworkers whose remains are still trapped underground at Lily Mine in Louieville, Mpumalanga, wants the compensation money to be invested for their children's education.

Speaking to Sowetan yesterday, Christopher Mazibuko said R200000 was paid out to the family but there were still discussions among family members on how to invest it.

Mazibuko and Pretty Mabuza had two children together, aged one and four. Mabuza also had two other children, aged 11 and 13.

"We wanted the money to be paid into a trust account but it was paid into an individual's account. The money should be invested so that the children can use it for their education," said Mazibuko.

He said the younger children had lived with their grandmother in a house near Lily Mine, together with the families of Mabuza's colleagues Solomon Nyerende and Yvonne Mnisi, since disaster struck on February 5 last year.

The families said they were happy with payments but their wish is for their loved ones to be retrieved from the container which was swallowed by the ground while the trio was on duty inside 468 days ago.

The mine has since been closed and placed under business rescue with R200-million needed for the mine to start operations again, Sturns Business Rescue Practitioners' Rob Devereux told Sowetan on the first anniversary of the disaster.

Nyerende's relative Jabulile Mnisi confirmed that they had received the money but said they would meet as a family to decide on how to use it. Nyerende did not have any children.

Meanwhile, Cosatu said the payments were a "positive development".

Spokesman Sizwe Pamla said R10000 was paid out to each of the 75 injured miners although they were initially promised R50000 each.

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