Arthur Greene
INingizimu Afrika ithumele imishini eyisipesheli e-Burkina Faso ukusiza abasebenzi basemayini abayisishiyagalombili asebevaleleke ngaphansi komhlaba amasonto amathathu.
Imayini i-Perkoa Zinc, esesifundazweni sase-Sanguie ezweni lase-West Afrika, ilahlekelwe ukuxhumana nabasebenzi ngomhlaka-16 kuMbasa ngemuva kwezikhukhula.
Amadoda ayisishiyagalombili – ayisithupha kuwo avela e-Burkina Faso, oyedwa wase-Zambia kanye noyedwa wase-Tanzania – ebesebenza endaweni engamamitha angu-520 ngaphansi komhlaba ngesikhathi abaphathi beyalela ukuthi bonke abantu baphume emayini.
Kunamagumbi okukhosela amabili angaphansi kwezinga lika-520, lapho abasebenzi abebekhona, kodwa abaphathi basemayini abazi noma bakhona yini abasebenzi abafike kuwo.
Emasontweni amathathu ngemuva kwezikhukhula, imizamo yokuhlenga eyenzeke ubusuku nemini kahulumeni, imiphakathi yendawo kanye nezinye izinkampani zezimayini ayizange iphumelele, futhi ithemba lokuthi abasebenzi abayisishiyagalombili bengatholakala bephila liyaphela.
Inkampani yase-Canada i-Trivali Mining Corp imise ukusebenza njengoba kusathungathwa abasebenzi.
NgoMgqibelo, uGeoffrey York we-Globe and Mail ubike ukuthi iNingizimu Afrika ne-Ghana bathumele amaphampu amanzi ukusiza ngemizamo yokuhlenga.
“Imizamo yokuhlenga iyaqhubeka, njengoba sekufike imishini yokumpompa amandla amakhulu manje avela e-Ghana naseNingizimu Afrika,” kubhala uYork ku-Twitter, efake nezithombe.
Ngesonto eledlule, uNdunankulu wase-Bukina Faso u-Albert Ouedraogo umemezele ukuthi abaphathi bavinjelwe ukuphuma ezweni ngesikhathi iziphathimandla ziphenya ngesigameko esiholele ekunyamalaleni kwala madoda.
“Kuthathwe izinyathelo zokuphepha ukuze kuvinjelwe abaphathi bemayini ukuthi baphume ezweni futhi imiyalelo eqinile inikezwe uNgqongqoshe Wezokuphepha ngalokhu,” kusho u-Oedraogo esitatimendeni ngoMsombuluko odlule.
Ngesikhathi evakashele imayini ngoMbasa, u-Oedraogo ugxeke “ubudedengu” kwabaphathi bemayini.
UNdunankulu uthe ukusetshenziswa kabi kwe-dynamite ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ngaphambi kwezikhukhula kungase kulimaze ukwakheka kwemayini.
“I-dynamite isetshenziswe endaweni evulekile [ingxenye] yemayini, eyenze i-gallery [indawo engaphansi] yaba buthaka kanti yilokho okuholele ekutheni kube nezikhukhula,” usho kanje.
Imindeni eyisithupha yabasebenzi abadukile ivulele amacala okuzama ukubulala, ukubeka impilo engozini kanye nokwehluleka ukusiza umuntu osengozini, ngokusho kwe-Al Jazeera.
Umthombo wesithombe: @sigbf