Over four years ago three mineworkers – Pretty Nkambule, Yvonne Mnisi, and Solomon Nyirenda – were trapped underground after a tremor.
Herman Mashaba. Picture: Kayleen Morgan/EWN
JOHANNESBURG – Newly launched political party Action SA’s president Herman Mashaba on Wednesday said they were in the process of implementing a legal strategy that would force the government to retrieve the Lily Mine container.
Over four years ago three mineworkers – Pretty Nkambule, Yvonne Mnisi, and Solomon Nyirenda – were trapped underground after a tremor.
The mining company and government have claimed it was too dangerous to retrieve the container to this day. However, Mashaba said his party would get rights for their retrieval.
Mashaba said he was confident Action SA would be in court in the first half of next year to force the Department of Mineral and Energy to act on the matter.
He accused the government of lying about the true fate of the container, saying they had obtained the documents the department relied on when the container was deemed irretrievable.
However, at a briefing on Wednesday Mashaba told reporters that there was no evidence in the report supporting its findings that the container was irretrievable.
“What this means is that the cost of retrieving the container, which has been banded around, has been based on propaganda to support the case that retrieving the container is impossible,” Mashaba said.
The former Joburg mayor said he had also written to the National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Shamila Batohi, to make her aware of their progress towards criminal prosecution.
