Drama unfolded at the IEC’s National Elections Results Operation Centre on Friday as ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba confronted Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe over the Lilly Mine tragedy in Mpumalanga.
In 2016, a central pillar in a shaft collapsed, burying three miners in a shipping container and trapping at least 90 others. Due to unstable ground conditions, attempts to retrieve the container were abandoned.
Mashaba and ActionSA have been assisting the victims’ families and have repeatedly called for justice and accountability. The party claims to have spent around R3 million in legal fees to support the families.
Mashaba approached Mantashe at the ANC’s desk on Friday to question him about the processes of retrieving the deceased miners from underground. Mashaba expressed his concern over the government’s handling of the matter.
“Gwede Mantashe, the mine management, and the officials called the family into some meeting. So the families called me to say; ‘what do we do about this? Can we have a lawyer represent us?’ I said absolutely! I will get you a lawyer,” Mashaba recounted.
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He added that ActionSA had written to Mantashe, informing him of their intention to provide legal representation for the families. “They rejected this and that is what I was asking him,” Mashaba said.
Energy Minister Mantashe appeared irritated by Mashaba’s confrontation and responded, “But ActionSA is not a law firm; it’s a political party.” As the discussion grew more heated, Nomvula Mokonyane, attempting to defuse the situation, tried to pull the ANC National Chairperson away.
“Chairperson, I am trying to show you something. Please come this way,” Mokonyane said. As Mashaba walked away, Mantashe commented, “What is this?” referring to the scene that had just played out. Mokonyane then turned to the media and asked, “Can you guys please leave?”
Mashaba’s confrontation with Mantashe highlights the ongoing struggle for justice for the families affected by the Lilly Mine tragedy.
Despite the legal and political complexities, Mashaba and ActionSA remain committed to advocating for the victims’ families, seeking accountability from the government and mining officials involved in the tragedy.
