CAPE TOWN, July 16 (Xinhua) -- South African MPs on Monday called for new legislation that will hold mine bosses and managers accountable for any life lost on duty.
The Department of Mineral Resources must urgently draft legislation to this effect, Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources (PCMR) and the Select Committee on Land and Mineral Resources (SCLMR) said in a joint statement.
This came after six mine workers were killed on Sunday at Phalaborwa Mining Company in Limpopo Province. The accident reportedly was caused by underground fire as a result human error.
The latest deaths brought to 31 the total of fatalities in South African mines since the beginning of this year.
The two committees said that if what has been reported in the media about the cause of deaths at this mine is true, then there has been gross negligence by those in charge and they should be fired immediately.
"The issue of mine health and safety has long reached a crisis proportions and requires desperate intervention," PCMR Chairperson Sahlulele Luzipo said.
It is highly abnormal that 18 lives have been lost in just three mine accidents in three months, said Luzipo.
He said it is in this context that his committee has written a letter to Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe to seek clarity on the status of the proposed Mine Health and Safety Amendment Bill, as it has become an urgent piece of legislation.
The committee also wants to hear what measures the department is implementing in the interim, he said.
The committee will also hear by no later than July 19 this year via written submissions from organized labour on how mine health and safety can be improved, according to Luzipo.
Luzipo said he will visit the mine, as a matter of urgency.
The number of fatalities on South African mines increased to 88 last year, the first rise in a decade, compared with the 73 deaths recorded in 2016, official statistics show.
