"Union blames mines for workers’ deaths" 3 June 2024

… Xinfeng denies responsibility

The Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) is holding the Xinfeng and Rössing Uranium mines responsible for the deaths of two mineworkers who allegedly died on duty last month. Speaking on behalf of the mineworkers, MUN secretary general George Ampweya says the incidents took place due to the mines neglecting to provide workers with adequate safety measures. This comes after a man working on a solar plant construction project at Rössing Uranium near Arandis died at the construction site on 15 May. Gerson Nauyoma, a Xinfeng employee, died on 28 May after coughing up black mucus.

…Labour expert Herbert Jauch says mines should take precautions to make sure no one dies at work. “In terms of the Labour Act, there are very specific provisions for occupational health and safety. It states that there must be occupational health and safety at work, and companies should bring workers together through their unions. “That committee must make sure all potential risks are minimised. “The involvement of workers in the process through occupational health and safety is important, because they can also advise the company on what is a risk for them and what is not,” he says. Jauch says some mining companies are refusing to take responsibility.

…In a statement compiled by Oxygen Communications’ Hilda Basson Namundjebo, Xinfeng says the company bears no responsibility for Nauyoma’s death. “The environment in which mining operates is inevitably a challenge, especially as it relates to dust. To this end, we have deployed the highest technology in dust suppression, a process vetted during our application for our environmental clearance certificate, which was successfully granted. “It should be stated categorically that Xinfeng bears no responsibility for the death of Gerson Nauyoma. As is evident from our contribution, we are working closely with Nauyoma’s brother, Gebhardt Nauyoma,” the statement reads.