No, your time is up.
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo, ngiyabonga kakhulu ukuba ngithole leli thuba. Mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe, dadewethu siyayazi impilo yasezimayini -okuyimpilo esiphila kuyona thina esiyinzalelwane yabantu ababesebenza ezimayini. Okusemqoka-ke futhi engizwile ukubeka enkulumeni yakho wukunakekelwa kodadewethu nabafowethu abasebenza emigodini yasezimayini, ngizwile futhi ukuthi uthe bayanekekelwa.
Ngicela ukuthi uMnyango wakho ukanye noMnyango wezeMisebenzi yoMphakathi nowezeMpilo ube nohlelo lokuvakashela njalo ezimayini ukuyobheka ukuthi ngabe izindawo abantu abasebenzela kuzo ziphephile yini ngoba lezi zingozi ezikhona kufuneka ukuthi zigwenywe. Kumele kuqikelelwe ukuthi abanikazi bezimayini banakekela ukuphepha kwabantu. Lezi zimayini ezingekho emthethweni osekwagujwa kuzo kwaqedwa umsebenzi imigodi yakhona yashiywa ingavaliwe, bese kutholakala abantu sebezimbela nje ngokungekho emthemthweni. Lezi ngezinye zazo zonke izinto eziyaye zithinte umuntu kakhulu enhlizinyweni.
Kubalulekile ukufundisa abasebenzi ngokuphepha. Ngiyacabanga ukuthi udadewethu unikezwe lo msebenzi wokubhekana nezimbiwa phansi ngoba kufuneka kube nokubambisana phakathi kweMinyango enisebenzisana nayo.
Kufuneka kubanjiswane ngoba ukugxeka angeke kwaphela kodwa kufuneka siqinisekise ukuthi abantu bakithi baphephile. Usuku lwabasebenzi usuku olubaluleke kakhulu ezweni esisuka kulona eminyakeni eyishumi nesishiyagalombili eyedlule la abasebenzi babeyizinto ezingelutho nje, babesebenza bangabi nandlela yokukhalaza. Babexoshwa ngoba kwakungekho lapho bevikeleke khona njengabasebenzi. Kwakungekho okuphoqelela abaqashi ukuba bagcine imisebenzi iphephile.
Singeke sayeka ukusho ukuthi kukhona okuhle okwenzekile kodwa singeke sayeka futhi ukuthi noma ngabe kukhona okuhle okwenzekile kukhona okufuneka kubhekwe kwenziwe. Nathi emakhaya eHlobane siyadinga ukuthi kubhekwe ukuthi zingeke yini zivulwe lezo mayini ukuze abantu bakithi bakwazi ukusebenza. Ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson, thank you very much for affording me this opportunity. Hon Minister, my sister, we know about the life in the mines - which is the life we lived as a generation of people who worked in the mines. What is important, which I heard you mention in your address, is to take care of our brothers and sisters who work underground in the mines; you said that they are being taken care of.
I would like your department, together with the Departments of Public Works and Health, to have an oversight programme whereby they visit the mines to check if the working environment is safe because we have to prevent the accidents. The mine owners must ensure the safety of mineworkers. There are mines that cannot offer any work anymore but have been left open, and you find that people are mining in them illegally. These are some of the things that concern us.
It is imperative to teach workers about safety. I believe that my sister has been tasked with the administration of mining because there must be co- operation within the departments you are working with.
You must work together because criticising is not going to end, but we must make sure that our people are safe. Workers' Day is a very important day in our country. Over the past 18 years, workers have been regarded as nothing. They were just working and they could not complain. They were subjected to dismissals because they were not protected. There was nothing compelling employers to make jobs safe.
We can say that something good has been done, but there is still more that needs to be done. We too, in the rural area of Hlobane, need you to check if the mines cannot be operational again so that our people can work. Thank you.]