‘10% Zwane’ may as well be minister of banks, says NUM
IF Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane’s performance could be rated by the one organisation he ought to be working the closest with, it would give him one out of 10.
And the one point awarded to him, argued National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) general secretary David Sipunzi, would only be by virtue of him occupying his ministerial position.
“Mosebenzi Zwane is not doing what he has been employed to do. If he is doing it he is doing it 10% and 90% of his time he is doing something else,” Sipunzi said this week.
This month marks a year since President Jacob Zuma appointed Zwane, who was the unknown MEC of agriculture in Free State premier Ace Magashule’s cabinet.
Since his appointment, Zwane has been embroiled in one scandal after another, particularly related to his proximity to the Gupta family.
He made headlines earlier this year when it emerged that he was part of a delegation that flew to Zurich in December to convince mining giant Glencore to sell its Optimum coal mine to the Guptaowned Tegeta Exploration and Resources.
Two weeks ago, Zwane announced that a ministerial team had recommended that South Africa’s four major banks be investigated by a judge for closing accounts of the Gupta-owned Oakbay Investments. This was later disputed by the Presidency.
“One might think that Mosebenzi is the minister of banks because he talks more on the banks’ issues. Or the minister of compensation because he promises to compensate those who are dead but does FAILING: Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane is not doing the job he is supposed to do, say mineworkers
He promises to compensate the dead but does not talk anything about preventing those deaths
FRUSTRATED: NUM general secretary David Sipunzi not talk anything about preventing those deaths,” said Sipunzi.
When shafts collapsed at Lily Mine in Mpumalanga, Zwane promised the families of the victims R200 000 each. However, the NUM has raised concern over this move, questioning where the money would come from, as accidents at mines happened frequently.
Sipunzi said numerous unsuccessful attempts have been made to meet with Zwane.
“We have appealed to his office to intervene in the retrenchment at Sibanye Gold, where I think it’s been a month now [that] there has been no word from his office.”
Opposition parties as well as the SACP have called for Zwane’s head, but while the NUM insists the minister is incompetent, it stops short of calling for his dismissal.
“I saw him on TV talking about the illegal miners who go and kill themselves underground at some mine in Langlaagte. I don’t know what interest he has in that compared to the thousands that will be retrenched . . . that he doesn’t pay attention to,” Sipunzi said.
Because Zwane was a “minister from our ally” — the ANC — it was difficult to criticise his incompetence “loud enough”.
Zwane’s office denied that he had refused to meet with the NUM, saying “the minister is intervening” in the matter.