South Africa’s Mining Union said on Sunday it has won a court case against the government that will force authorities to impose strict guidelines on mining companies to protect workers against COVID-19, reported Reuters.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the mining union said it was “truly elated” with the court’s ruling on Friday.
“Now the lives and livelihoods of mineworkers can be protected,” Joseph Mathunjwa, the president of South Africa’s Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), said.
South Africa, which is the world’s largest platinum, manganese and chrome ore producer, has recorded more than 6000 cases of the coronavirus, the highest in the continent, including 123 deaths. In mid-April, the government allowed SA’s mines to return to 50% of capacity under lockdown conditions that were implemented from March 27.
The AMCU filed the court action to demand national safety standards for mines, including sanitization procedures and minimum level of protective gear, before they go back to work. The miners are afraid of getting infected with coronavirus as practicing social distancing is next to impossible inside deep mine shafts.
In related news, the South African Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize on Sunday announced that the total of positive Covid-19 cases in South Africa has crossed 6,783, up by 447 from the 6,336 Covid-19 cases announced on Saturday and the highest 24-hour tally to date in the country.
In a statement, Dr Mkhize said a further eight people have died from the virus, taking total deaths to 131.
He added that a total of 245,747 people have been tested, with 15,061 people tested in the past 24 hours. Mkhize said that more than 7.2 million South Africans have been screened.
The number of coronavirus cases around the world has topped 3.5 million, with deaths at more than 245,000, and around 1.13 million recoveries.
