Someone must account for Lily Mine disaster, says UAT leader

As the Lily Mine community in Barberton, Mpumalanga, marked nine years since the tragedy, justice remains elusive.

Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Nkambule, and Solomon Nyerende died on February 5, 2016, after their lamproom was trapped 80m underground in a collapse that left 87 colleagues rescued but shaken.


This year’s commemoration, led by Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA, drew support from multiple political parties.

Umkhonto weSizwe Party, United African Transformation (UAT), and the African Christian Democratic Party attended the commemoration on Wednesday.

UAT president and parliamentarian, Dr Wonder Mahlatsi, commended Mashaba for inviting other political parties to the event.

“Today, the UAT is not here on a political programme. We are here as Africans, as people who care for one another,” said Mahlatsi.

“We are here to stand in solidarity with the families who lost their loved ones in the tragic collapse of the Lily Mine nine years ago.

“Nine years later, their bodies are still trapped underground. Nine years later, their families are still trapped in grief, injustice, and neglect.

“The question we must ask is, how long must African lives remain disposable in the eyes of the powerful?”

Justice delayed is a deliberate insult

Mahlatsi called for the private prosecution of the mine’s managers.

“We can’t allow this to be forgotten. Someone must account. If the state is unwilling or unable to bring justice, then you must take this matter for private prosecution.

“Justice delayed is not just justice denied. It is a deliberate insult to the lives lost and the families left behind,” said Mahlatsi.

He said the victims were not mere statistics.

“Pretty Nkambule, Yvonne Mnisi, and Solomon Nyerende; these are not just names; they are the spirit of our struggle for justice.

“Their memories must not be buried under political excuses and corporate indifferences. You must organise, mobilise, and act. If we don’t fight for justice, who will?”

Nine years of solid pain

Mnisi’s brother, Zweli Mnisi, spoke about the family’s long struggle.

“We are so troubled as the three families. It has been nine years of solid pain for the three families,” he said.

“How are we free if our government is neglecting such an important matter that needed urgency yesterday?

“How come the leadership of this country neglected these families? We appreciate you, Mr Mashaba; you have been there for the families. We thank you.”

He questioned the government’s double standards.

“Not long ago, the same government was able to rescue illegal miners and foreign nationals, but it’s difficult for the same leadership to rescue our relatives who are stuck in this mine.”

2 108 days of betrayal

According to activist and former mine worker Henry Mazibuko, Mashaba stepped in when the government failed.

He said families have been camping outside Lily Mine for 2 108 days. They began camping near the mine after authorities barred them from searching for the remains of their loved ones.

“An inquiry into the matter recommended the prosecution of the mine management, but to this day no one has been arrested,” said Mazibuko.

“However, when we decided to go into the mine to search for the remains of our loved ones, more than 50 heavily armed police officers arrived with a court order.”

Mazibuko said the families have been counting down the days, waiting for justice.

“That tent represents 2 108 days of betrayal and torture directed at the families. The government said the managers of the mine should be prosecuted, but it is the same government that is not prosecuting them.

“It is the same government that is refusing to retrieve the container. The families are camping there, waiting for the retrieval to take place,” he added.

Mashaba’s intervention

Mazibuko said he found hope in Mashaba’s People’s Dialogue campaign before ActionSA was formed.

Mashaba had invited frustrated community members to write to him for intervention.

“I first wrote the ANC-led government a letter explaining the Lily Mine situation. I told them we are dissatisfied with the workers who haven’t been retrieved.

“We were also dissatisfied with the fact that we never got compensated for our work. There was no response,” he said.

Mazibuko then contacted Mashaba.

“He promised to come, and two weeks later he was at the tent. He suggested getting us lawyers, and we agreed. Today here he is,” Mazibuko said.

The families remain resolute, refusing to abandon their loved ones buried underground, as they continue their long battle for justice.

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