Outrage as Ekapa mine shuts down overnight
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in the Kimberley region has expressed deep shock at the company’s sudden decision to immediately close Ekapa Mine.
The union has described the move as a devastating blow to workers and the broader community.
The liquadation announcement comes amid ongoing efforts to recover the bodies of five miners trapped in a mud rush at the mine more than a week ago.
The miners are all presumed to have died.
Earlier this week, Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe told Parliament that efforts to recover the bodies are ongoing.
NUM regional secretary, Mesepedi Senane, said instead of a period of reflection, investigation and corrective action, workers were told not to return to work as the mine moves toward liquidation.
Senane said the timing could not be worse.
“Looking at the number of people or workers who are expected to go home, looking at the town of Kimberly on its own, and looking at the unemployment rate in the Northern Cape province. This is a real blow to the working class and the community at large.”
He said while the union is aware of health and safety concerns at the mine, the expectation was that proper processes would be followed to address them.
“We thought the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources would be given an opportunity to do their investigations to find out what could have happened. However, the company decided the other way around.”
According to the union, the company has cited financial difficulties and declining profitability, arguing that it relied heavily on a single shaft for diamond production.
However, NUM maintains that closing the mine should not have been the first or only solution.
The union also raised concerns about the way the decision was communicated.
Senane claims workers were instructed not to report for duty, and the closure took immediate effect.
For many employees who had already endured reduced working hours and, in some cases, half salaries in recent months, the shutdown represents yet another setback.
Senane said the trade union is now calling for transparency in the liquidation process and urging the provincial government to intervene.
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