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Maroela Media reports that Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) has now accepted the claims for damages of five Solidarity members who had been brutally assaulted by armed, striking mineworkers.
The rioters, under the banner of a union dispute, trapped approximately 400 fellow workers underground between 7 and 11 December 2023 at the Gold One mine in Springs. Some of these hostages were members of trade union Solidarity and they were among the victims who were repeatedly beaten and threatened with death. The victims had to be hospitalised afterwards and they had to receive trauma counselling and treatment for, among other things, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The breakthrough regarding the acceptance of their claims came more than half a year later, after a long period during which Solidarity’s Department for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) had to fight on behalf of its affected members. The claims had initially been rejected, but at the insistence of Solidarity the claims were reviewed, and the objection and review were successful, Johan Böning, head of OHS at Solidarity, reported. Consequently, Solidarity has received notice that RMA has decided to approve the claims of these members, even though they do not technically, on legal grounds, consider this to be a case of injury on duty due to an accident. “We are relieved and grateful that our members’ claims for what they had to endure have now been accepted. Hopefully the employer and the authorities will do whatever they can to ensure that something like this never again takes place at the mine.” Böning commented.
- Read the full reports in Afrikaans in the above regard at Maroela Media
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