The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is taking legal action against Kopanong Gold mine management, which allegedly forced its female employees to strip naked so that security guards could plunge their hands into their private parts looking for stolen pieces of gold.
The method, which is akin to the tausa dance, applied by prison warders against black inmates during the apartheid era, has not only drawn the NUM’s ire but also that of workers, government and the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).
NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu said the union received credible reports from the affected female employees.
“The NUM views this alleged treatment as utterly unacceptable, dehumanising, and a gross violation of our members’ fundamental rights and dignity. Such archaic and invasive practices have no place in a modern and progressive mining industry.
“The NUM is disgusted and appalled by these alleged actions. To subject women, who work tirelessly and contribute significantly to the mining sector, to such a humiliating and invasive search is not only reprehensible but potentially illegal. We demand a full and transparent investigation into this matter and call for those responsible to be held accountable,” he said.
He said the union is seeking legal counsel to explore all available avenues to protect the rights and well-being of the affected mine workers and to prevent such incidents from ever occurring again.
A woman who works at the implicated company has since sent official complaints to the SAHRC and the provincial office of the mineral resources department.
One of the workers, Mawayi Ngxakamba, was suspended on December 19 when she refused to strip naked.
She reported the matter to the Department of Minerals Resources (DMRE), which she said is in talks with the company that owns the mine.
“During our last meeting at the end of February, they asked me to sign a final warning, which I refused because I had done nothing wrong. I did not steal anything, but I do not want to take off my panties when searched,” she explained.
Ngxakamba explained the dehumanising process in gory detail to Sunday World.
“They start with our bras, then tell us to take off the trousers, then the panties before they ask us to open our legs wide while they bend and look inside our private parts to see if they can find something there.”
Another woman who is still employed at the mine said the security officers, all female, even laughed at her.
“I have a big body, so because I could not stretch my legs wider, they asked me to put my leg on the chair so that they could see if gold balls are not stuffed in my private parts,” she said.
She said what pained her was that the security officers were as young as her children.
“I felt humiliated. Some of them saw how clean my thighs were and asked me what I applied because a fat woman like me should have darker thighs. They said I smell bad, but how can I not smell bad?
Because I am from underground, it’s hot there, and obviously I sweat.
She said work has become a painful experience for her.
“When I leave home just to get to work, where a young woman the same age as my daughter touches my private parts, I lose my confidence. Even when I walk on the streets, I feel like people know that young girls frequently touch my body as they like,” she said.
Another woman, who asked not to be named, said she was on her period and had to comply.
“She [the security officer] touched me and felt something was there. She called others for backup.
They told me to undress. I told them that I was on my period. They said I must take the cloth that I used to substitute a sanitary pad so that they can see if nothing is hidden in it.”
Zikhona Mzimba, 30, got fired in February. On that day, she had a runny stomach.
“I rushed to the toilet, and while in there, they called out my name and told me to come out. They helped me to undress, bend and look while my legs were wide open. Still, they did not find anything. I complained, and I got fired,” she said.
The women have also approached the South African National Civics Organisation for intervention.
Spokesperson Mzukisi Jam said they contacted the company to establish whether the allegations were true.
“The mine confirmed the allegations, stating that employees do steal gold at times. As to whether there was any violation of human rights in the process, the mine did not care, as the only thing they cared about was the gold they claim is stolen and hidden by these women in their private parts,” said Jam.
DMRE spokesperson Johannes Mokobane, however, said the department was processing the
allegations internally. “The department may require additional time as it involves investigations to finalise,” he said.
The company held a meeting with its employees on Monday and told them that it has changed the way the women will be searched, and said those suspended and fired will soon come back to work.
The company’s senior human resources manager Izak Nieuwoudt refused to comment.
“I know about the matter, but I am not commenting thanks,” he said.
