‘We are hungry and being on strike is painful’

Nokubonga Dobe’s salary of R8,000 is depleted almost immediately after being deposited into her bank account.

The 48-year-old is among workers on strike at the Sibanye-Stillwater gold mine.

“My salary disappears on the same day I get it. I feel disappointed. When I started this job 13 years ago, I was frightened to go underground. But I had no choice because I wanted a better future for my children,” Dobe said.

Workers, who are members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), have been on strike for three months.

They are demanding a R1,000 increase per month for three years and a 6% wage increase.

Wednesday marked day 85 of the strike, meaning that the average category 4 worker has lost R46,368, according to information on the company’s website.

Wednesday, workers could be seen walking around the Letsatsing settlement, which is situated next to the company’s Driefontein plant in Carletonville, on the West Rand.

Others were sitting outside, wrapped in blankets to wade off the bitter cold while tending to a few sheep. 

The area is dotted by neat housing units, which are separated by wire fences.

Dobe said the houses belong to the mine and every month a rental fee of R1,803 is deducted from her salary so she can stay there. 

She also pays R1,500 to the person looking after her house in the Eastern Cape, R1,000 goes to her 17-year-old son who lives in EC, while the rest goes to groceries, a furniture store account, a clothing account and loan repayments.

Dobe, a pump attendant who lives with two of her three children, said the loss of income resulted in her struggling to afford bare necessities such as food. 

“We are hungry and being on strike is painful. But the salary we are currently earning is not enough. I can barely manage to cover all my basic expenses,” she said.

Dobe said she depended on handouts from relatives and friends.

“Right now I’m on my way to a friend’s house so I can eat,” Dobe said almost in tears.

Many of the workers have spent almost three weeks camping outside the Union buildings in Tshwane while pleading for President Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene.

“I work so hard that I can’t go to church to pray on Sundays, yet I am struggling,” Dobe said. 

Bongile Zozoyana, who has worked as a rock drill operator since 2005, said even loan sharks were not willing to lend them money because they had gone months without salaries.

“The employer does not care that we are starving. But we are willing to wait until we get what we want,” he said.

Zozoyana said he intended to go back and join the others in Pretoria.

“I’ve been there before and the conditions are bad. We have no food, water or shelter. But what can we do?” he shrugs.

Anele Magazi, 40, said things were tough because he had to provide for his wife and three children.

“The stores keep calling me because I’ve defaulted on payments,” Magazi said.

Workers started gathering the picketing area around midday so that branch leaders could address them. “Forward with 6%, chanted Amcu branch treasurer Anele Lodim through a load speaker.

Lodim encouraged the workers to remain strong despite the hardships of being on strike.