[miningmx.com] — THE local mining sector should focus more on safety and less on meeting targets, in light of the recent Chile mining accident, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Wednesday.
“Sometimes our mining industry acts more like the taxi industry,” NUM president Senzani Zokwana said at a press briefing in Johannesburg.
“These mines are focused on more trips to get more money which compromises the safety of others,” he said.
Zokwana said mine owners should slow down and deal with providing a better basic wage for miners, rather than offering bonuses for productivity which encouraged them to take risks and potentially endanger lives.
“If you look at a company like Anglogold, my answer would be yes, they are not genuine in addressing their ‘zero fatalities’ policy as long as they offer bonuses as motivation,” Zokwana said.
He said many lessons could be learnt by South Africa from the Chile mining accident.
