Members of political parties denied access to Lily Mine

The entrance gate of the Lily Mine in Mpumalanga.

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Members of different political parties have been denied access to the Lily Mine in Barberton, Mpumalanga. This comes after residents of Low’s Creek embarked on a protest and blockaded the main road in the area.

They are accusing political parties of using the commemoration of the deaths of three former mine members to garner votes.

Pretty Nkambule, Yvonne Mnisi and Solomon Nyirenda were trapped underground when the mine collapsed.

They had been in a container used as a lamp room at the time.

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the incident.

ActionSA leader, Herman Mashaba, says the protesters are using excuses to disrupt the commemoration.

“For anyone, now all of a sudden looking for jobs from us, I mean, honestly, how do you begin to even explain it? What do you have to do with providing employment when there’s a container out there where in the beginning the families were deceived, were lied to, that this container cannot be retrieved? It cost us a fortune to even to get our government to accept that the container can be retrieved. So, these are really hired people to come and disrupt, but unfortunately, that is not going to happen.”

They tried to stop us, but we will not tire. We will fight until the Lily Mine victims are recovered, and their families get the justice they deserve. No more delays, no more excuses! #JusticeForLilyMine #BringThemHome pic.twitter.com/cnr1tYPeuJ

— Funzi Ngobeni (@Funzi_Ngobeni) February 5, 2025

ActionSA President Herman Mashaba, Deputy President Mbahare Kekana, Mpumalanga Provincial Chairperson Thoko Mashiane and ACDP Gauteng Provincial Chairperson Bishop Adams at the commemoration of the ninth anniversary of the Lily Mine tragedy#JusticeForLilyMine pic.twitter.com/xP7rhyMR9n

— ActionSA Gauteng (@ActionSA_GP) February 5, 2025