There was confusion on Monday morning when Lily mine distanced itself from an earlier commitment to compensate workers.

Spokesperson, Coetzee Zietsman, during a radio interview on SAfm’s breakfast show, AM Live on Monday, said the mine did not offer compensation to the families.

“The mine will do everything in its powers to give the right kind of support to the families. The offer [to pay compensation] did not come from the mine and there has been no money that has been paid to anyone,” Zietsman told SAfm.

This follows the announcement made by the Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane, on February 13 that the mine had offered to compensate the three trapped workers with R200 000 each, while the 76 miners who were initially trapped and then rescued, an amount of R50 000 each.

Zietsman told the radio station that the Department was best-placed to answer questions about compensation, not the mine.

But he changed tact a short while later, saying the mine had made a commitment to honour the minister’s promises after long discussions on Monday.

“We just came out of a meeting with the Department and trade union Amcu. The mine will honour the minister’s promise. What we need to clarify is that this is not compensation. Payments will be done in a form of a disaster relief fund. Talks are still up for discussion as to how much will be distributed,” Zietsman said.

The Department of Mineral Resources had on Monday expressed surprise at Lily mine’s apparent reneging to paying the workers following Zietsman’s radio interview.

Department spokesperson, Martin Madlala, said he was not aware that the mine would not be paying compensation to its workers.

“It is not our understanding that the mine will not pay the compensation. The Minister said compensation was coming from the mine,” Madlala said.

Three workers, Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Mabuza and Solomon Nyarenda, have been trapped underground since February 5 when the container they were working in fell into a sinkhole created by a collapsed crown pillar, before being covered by huge rocks.

The mission to rescue them was expected to resume on Monday following the breakdown of the drilling machine soon after it had started drilling an escape route for rescuers on Sunday.

Lily mine was due to hold a press briefing on Monday afternoon to update the public about the rescue mission.

ANA