Mine workers returning to work say they are anxious about being infected or infecting others. Some say they had no choice but to go back as they feared losing their jobs
Dark-coloured facial masks, some ill-fitting and sagging below their noses, did little to conceal the dejection and gloom painted on the uncovered parts of the mine workers’ faces. In the foreground of a towering mine shaft, the miner workers emerged from underground.
The mine workers said they needed their jobs for survival and for their families’ livelihood. But they all maintained that they needed to stay alive even more. “Waking up in the morning is very hard. All I can think of is getting infected with the coronavirus at work … I mean, why are we working when people are being arrested and slapped with huge fines for not staying at home under the national lockdown?
The masks were also worn by all the mine workers returning from work at the Sibanye-Stillwater mine in Rustenburg. “If I do not work, I won’t get paid and I might lose my job. Without an income, things could get even tougher for my family during the lockdown. One thing that is clear is that profits are being put before the lives of workers by the employers.”Mining companies had been pushing to restart operations when only processing plants and maintenance operations had been given the green light before the lockdown regulations were relaxed.
The National Union of Mineworkers has maintained that, at 50% operating capacity, most of the mine workers would be back at work with the risk of infection hanging over their heads
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