Former ANC MP Bongani Bongo has been mentioned among the names behind operational disruptions at the Liberty Coal mine sites in Mpumalanga, but he says his involvement is only limited to consultancy work for business rescue services, and claims linking him to mobilising the community against the mine are unfounded.
Bongo, who has since fallen out of favour with the President Cyril Ramaphosa-led ANC, is linked through a voice recording to the recent spate of protests at the mine premises.
In the recording a person can be heard saying, “Monday we are dealing with Liberty, my man. Monday, we will be busy. We are closing Liberty…I mean Tuesday. We are going to close down all their sites. Things are no longer going right at Liberty. Yesterday George called, saying he needs to see me. I’ll go and hear what’s happening.”
Bongo, the former ANC national executive committee member, distanced himself from the voice recording.
“I have no knowledge of that recording. I have been doing consultancy work since leaving politics. George van der Merwe is my client through legal work. I sleep at his place when I’m in Middelburg, but my house is in Johannesburg. I have no political base in that area or any
capacity to mobilise anyone.”
The recording surfaces as Liberty Coal this week dragged the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality in Middelburg to court for allegedly failing to prevent unlawful gatherings that disrupted their business operations.
The matter was argued for urgency on Tuesday; however, the court ruled it could be heard on a normal court roll.
The applicants claim that the municipality did not adequately enforce the prohibition of gatherings that were disapproved due to non-compliance with the Regulation of Gatherings Act.
They allege that despite the municipality’s formal disapproval of a gathering proposed for January 20, an assembly exceeding 15 persons took place outside Liberty Mine Services’ premises, obstructing entrances and disrupting operations.
“Our clients have proof that entrances to the premises were obstructed. And that members from Public Order SAPS were indeed present,” the applicants stated in their correspondence to the municipality. They further alleged that the gathering was not spontaneous. It occurred on the exact date for which the municipality had previously refused an application.
The court heard that during a prior gathering on January 13, approved by the municipality, some protesters carried firearms, including high-calibre semi-automatic weapons.
This week Sunday World received an email from Jeremiah Kgopane, a representative of the Steve Tshwete Amalgamated community-based organisation, saying the community only sought to “engage” with the mine. Kgopane said the court application of Tuesday was meant to prevent peaceful protests.
