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I am pleased to announce that yesterday the DMRE and NPA finally complied with our PAIA request and handed over the documents being sought by our legal team in the battle for justice for the former miners and families at Lily Mine.

Despite promising to hand over the documents on the 15th of July, the DMRE has been dragging their feet since making this commitment, raising questions of potential political interference. We subsequently threated legal action should they not comply, ultimately resulting in yesterday’s action just days before the legal deadline of 27 August.

This is a significant victory in our battle to ultimately see the retrieval of the container in which the remains of Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Nkambule and Solomon Nyarende have been trapped underground for over 4 years.

It is sad, however, that a democratic government had to be compelled through the threat of court proceedings to care about the plight of its most vulnerable citizens.

The documents form the evidence used to substantiate the DMRE decision to deem the container that entombs the three deceased miners irretrievable. This decision is the focus of our legal challenge given that prospective mining companies have included in their bids their commitment to retrieving the container, and the remains of the miners. 

Our legal team will now set to work on analysing the documentation in an attempt to verify their authenticity, credibility and relevance to the case at hand. 

Of one thing the DMRE can be certain: we will not relent until we have secured justice for those who have been so deeply affected by the Lily Mine tragedy. These people have bravely suffered unbearable pain. Children are growing up without parents, elderly parents have died without justice, and the futures of siblings have been ruined. They deserve closure at the very least.

Issued by Founder Of The People’s Dialogue, Herman Mashaba