The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in the Northern Cape has threatened to shut down the Frontier Mine in the province if their workers are not paid overdue salaries.
The union says the mine only paid the miners less than half of their wages for December and January.
Last year, the mine’s general manager was prevented from leaving the mine’s offices by employees demanding their full wages.
The NUM’s regional secretary Cornelius Manhe says: “We have engaged with the CEO of the company and he committed that either today or tomorrow he will pay the employees.”
“If he doesn’t pay the employees, then that means we will have to go to the streets so that we can force him to pay the employees.”
Meanwhile, mine managing director Jan Louw denied the company is on the verge of closing its doors. However, Louw admitted that it is facing cash flow problems.
He says: “South African banks and institutions do not want to help us. We have applied for a loan for two years now and no success. We had a major fundraiser lined up before December which didn’t materialise which resulted in this shortfall in cash.”
