More than 1 000 workers have been left without jobs and unpaid salaries after Ekapa Minerals was placed under liquidation.

The development comes as five miners remain trapped underground following a mud rush incident at the company’s mine in Kimberley, in South Africa’s Northern Cape, last Tuesday.

All mining operations at the site have been halted.

Affected workers

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said it intends to approach the courts to determine a way forward for affected workers.

One of the miners, Mothibeli Leshoro, described the shock and uncertainty facing employees.

“We were not told earlier that this is what happened. We find ourselves in this situation where there is a meeting currently taking place, whereby we are only asking for our payments, so we can pay our rent and debts. Currently we can’t express our feelings and there is nothing we can do,” he said.

Industrial action

Leshoro added that workers feel constrained in taking industrial action while rescue efforts continue.

“Since we have our colleagues underground, we can’t even boycott, because immediately when we boycott, we are going to stop everything and the rescue of those people underground will be stopped,” he said.

The liquidation has intensified concerns about the financial stability of the operation and the future of its workforce, while families of the trapped miners continue to await updates on rescue efforts.