Treat mining, taxi deaths same

LOSS of life in the mining industry, or in any industry for that matter, is a matter of concern and the sad loss of seven employees at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Driefontein mine in Carletonville brings home the reality that mining at depths of nearly 4km is exceptionally dangerous.

However, what always seems to follow any death in one of our mines is the almost immediate finger-pointing by the unions, and sometimes the government, at the mining company before any investigation has even begun.

I guess it’s what unions think that they should do to keep themselves relevant.

Mining companies are one of the faces of “white monopoly capital” and are an easy target when any fatal accident occurs.

The cries of poor safety and an uncaring management are quickly forthcoming, but I don’t believe for a minute that this is always the case.

Does the government not have safety inspectors, independent of the mine’s own staff, to carry out inspections of mines?

I am sure they used to, so why is the issue of safety only brought up after fatalities are involved?

With the ever-decreasing gold reserves requiring mining at even deeper levels, there is a concomitant increase in cost to sustain these mines at these levels.

Simply increasing wages will not make the work less risky, but it will certainly lead to more mechanisation that will result in major layoffs of staff.

So the mining company sits between a rock and a hard place.

As long as we mine in unstable areas that are subject to sometimes unpredictable seismic events, we will always run the risk of fatalities – as unpalatable as that may seem.

With this in mind, I can only imagine the increase in fatalities were the mines to be nationalised.

If the mines were run like South African Airways or Transnet, one can only shudder at the thought.

Which brings me to look at an industry which to all intents and purposes is blackowned, ie “black monopoly capital” – and that is the taxi industry.

There is not a day that goes by that people are not killed in taxies that are unroadworthy, unlicensed, driven by unlicensed drivers and driven recklessly and yes, like the mines, this is also an industry that is driven by profit.

So why do we not have the same fingerpointing by unions at taxi owners when their vehicles are responsible for a good deal more deaths in one month than the mining industry in two or three years?

Why are they royal game but the mines are an easy target?

Seven people die in a mine due to a seismic event and all hell breaks loose, but seven people die in a taxi crash and it’s like the Beirut syndrome, glossed over and pushed to page three past all the articles on men killing their girlfriends and [Malusi] Gigaba’s wife’s travel costs.

Mines are here to stay for as long as we have ore to process – and so are taxis.

Let’s start treating fatalities within each industry with the same fervour. No single death is acceptable.

Malcolm Dodds, Kunene Park, Port Elizabeth