Former Lily Mine workers to march to High Court in Mbombela

A group of former workers at the Lily Mine in Barberton, Mpumalanga, will march to the High Court in Mbombela to hand over a memorandum of grievances.  

They are calling on the High Court not to proceed with the case between the mine’s potential investors, Argomaniz, owners of the mine-Vantage Goldfields and Business Rescue Practitioners.  

They believe that the court case is delaying the implementation of the new business rescue plan.  

The Lily Mine business rescue practitioners amended the business rescue plan in January.  

The plan was amended after mine owner, Vantage Goldfields, secured a financial deal with Australia-based company Macquarie Metals.  

One of the major creditors of the mine Arqomanzi accuses the practitioners of changing the plan without consulting them and took the matter to court.  

In February, Arqomanzi was granted an interim court order preventing the implementation of the amended rescue plan. 

Other interested parties were given until next month to oppose the issuing of a final court order.  

Some of the former workers believe that the court case should be set aside.  

They are calling for a new plan and for money owed to them to be paid back by the mine.  

They are also calling for the remains of the three workers who died at the mine in 2016 to be retrieved.  

Families of trapped mineworkers seeking closure  

The families of the three miners who died following a tragic incident at the Lilly mine in Mpumalanga are still seeking closure five years later. 

On 5 February 2016, a container at the mine entrance collapsed and buried Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Nkambule and Solomon Nyirenda. 

Their bodies remain underground, as outlined in the video below:  

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