Years on, miners still unpaid: After years of hard sweat ,there's nothing to show for it

Former Eastern Cape mineworkers say they have returned from the mines in their thousands to a life of economic hardship.

Despite having slaved underground for decades, sacrificing their lives for their families, they have returned home empty-handed.

Saturday Dispatch met them in Willowvale, Centane, and Butterworth.

Here are their stories:

lBobo Mavuso, 81, started working in the Gauteng mines in the late 50s, but was retrenched from the President Steyn mines in the Free State during the 1985 strike.

“I had to pack my bags and came home with nothing.

“I waited for my money, but it never came.

“Can you imagine how my family felt? After more than 20 years in the mines, they expected something at least,” Mavuso said.

“There was nothing. I wasted 30 years of my life.”

lMalusi Nkwane of Ngadla village worked in the mines from 1978 to 1995.

He was retrenched and thought that after 17 years of hard labour, he would be able to take his package and build himself a house. But it was not to be.

“I was given R4600 and I don’t know where the rest of my money is.

“I worked in the Vaal Reefs mines for the years and I am saddened why I could not get anything. I’ve been trying to claim these monies, but without any luck,” he said.

lPeter Nyambothi, 72, worked at the Lorraine mine in Welkom since he was very young in the 1960s.

He joined through the Teba agency, which used to recruit mine labour from the Eastern Cape.

“From 1965 to 1989 I worked there and I came back home with R10 in my pocket.

“I had to sell my cattle to feed my young wife and children. I want my provident fund money. I need help,” said Nyambothi.

lPeter Qavane, from Mboya village, said of his return home from the mines: “It was an embarrassment to come back with nothing to show your family.

“My parents expected me to have something, but I had nothing. I had everything to prove that I worked in these mines,” he said.

Qavane worked for Western Platinum in Marikana and Bleeskop, among others.

“I think I took R14000 home but where is the rest of my money? Where is the money from the mining companies I worked for?” he asked.

lMzwabantu Mbeki, of Gosani village, said he took home only R60 after working in the mines for close to 10 years.

“I was working in the gold mines in the Vaal Reefs.

“I joined in 1978 and in 1986 I was told to go home.

“The only money I got was R60 and I don’t know what happened to the rest of the money,” he said.

Mbeki said he had made enquiries but “no one told the truth”.

“Still today I don’t know who can tell me the truth about my money, or where to claim it from,” said Mbeki.

lKotana Patsiyana, of Dumalisile, worked at Vaal Reefs’ Western Deep since 1979 and left the company in December 2010.

“I was sent to the mines by Teba but when I was retrenched they were nowhere to assist me to get my money from the mines I worked at,” said Patsiyana.

“When I asked them about my money, I was shocked to find that my years which I worked in the mines were dropped by seven years.

“I could not challenge these people because I am just a small-fry and illiterate,” he said.

lKhathazile Gqola, 91, is one of many who are still waiting for their relative’s money.

His father, Ngandla, worked in the mines until he left in the 1950s

“My father returned home with nothing.

“I took it to myself that I will fight for our family to get his money and here in my twilight years, I am not giving up the fight,” said Gqola.

He said his father worked in the mines in the Free State.

“My father died while in the mines.”

lThanduxolo Spoko, of Nkxankxashe village, worked for 15 years in the mines but only had his service record documents to prove that he worked there.

“These are the papers that I thought would work for me to get my money but since 1991 I haven’t got anything.”

lMquzubela Mtukuncana worked in the Rustenburg mines and other mines for 32 years.

He took R8000 home.

“I believe I could have got more money than that. We’ve been victims of people who said they will fight for us to get our money from the mines but we are still waiting.

“Many people have died waiting for this and we trust no one to help us,” said Mtukuncana.

lNelson Solange, of Nkxankxashe village outside Willowvale, worked in the mines from 1964 to 1997.

He was retrenched together with thousands of other mineworkers – but never received money owing to him, he said.

“My provident fund money is lost. I have tried to get it but with no luck,” said Solange.

lMqapheli Mzinyana worked for four years at Kloof gold mine and later worked in other mines before he was retrenched in 1998.

“I started in 1980 and in 1998 I was retrenched. I only got money for the first mine I worked in for four years.

“Where’s the rest of my money?”

lMonwabisi Khotso worked in Carltonville for many years and took home R400.

“I only took the blue card home to claim my other money but I got nothing. We want to get to know how to claim these monies and we are sick. We could die before this. What will happen to our families?

“We need the president of the country to intervene,” said Khotso.

lZama Ngwalase worked in the mines for seven years and expected to get a payout after being retrenched, but went home with nothing.

“I was retrenched during a strike period and I expected to get something but I came home empty-handed.

“Many could not survive this pain of having no money while having families and children to feed,” said Ngwalase. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za