Search for justice continues: Families of Lily Mine three accuse NPA and DMR of rights infringements

Almost 10 years after the Lily Mine disaster in Mpumalanga, the families of Pretty Nkambule, Solomon Nyirenda, and Yvonne Mnisi have again demanded accountability.

The families of the trio, known as the Lily Mine Three, filed a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) against the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.

They accused the NPA and the department of infringing on their constitutional rights to human dignity and just administrative action.

In February 2016, Nkambule, Nyirenda, and Mnisi were trapped underground following the collapse of the Lily Mine.

Their bodies were never recovered.

An inquiry into their deaths later found that police, government, and mine management at the time failed to prevent what was described as an avoidable disaster.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, who has led calls for accountability over the years, joined the families at the offices of the commission in Mbombela on Wednesday.

“We are here with the families as they lodge a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission because, over the years that ActionSA has been involved, we have lodged various complaints, unfortunately with no response whatsoever,” Mashaba said.