NUM mourns the untimely passing away of its PWV regional chairperson comrade Ndlela Radebe

Press Statement, 5 August 2021

NUM mourns the untimely passing away of its PWV regional chairperson comrade Ndlela Radebe

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is highly saddened by the untimely passing away of its PWV Regional Chairperson comrade Ndlela Radebe yesterday after a long battle with the global deadly virus, Covid-19.

"We have lost a giant of the working class, a fearless, committed,dedicated and selfless leader who was prepared to lay down his life in defense of the working class, a leader who had intergrity , who did not want to be associated with mediocrity.

"We lost him at a time when we were preparing for  our Regional Conference this year in November", said NUM PWV Acting Regional Secretary Isaac Kazi.

The PWV Regional Chairperson's death is a stark reminder of a threat posed by this deadly pandemic, of which  we are all extremely vulnerable.

He left us when he was needed the most to fight against the privatisation of power utility, Eskom, through the introduction of IPP’s and the unbundling of Eskom into three separate entities. On this matter comrade Radebe's wisdom was needed the most. We also needed his wisdom to navigate through the ravaging effects of covid 19 on the economy through job losses and retrenchments in the sectors we organise as the NUM.

Comrade Radebe will be remembered for his unifying spirit and ardent love for the NUM members. He will be solely remembered for his hard work and dedication. He lost the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic while he was awaiting his turn for vaccination.

As the NUM, we are conveying our heartfelt condolences to Comrade Radebe's family, colleagues and his friends during this difficult time.

For more detailed information, please contact:

Isaac Kazi, NUM PWV Acting Regional Secretary, 064 752 5828

Livhuwani Mammburu, NUM National Spokesperson, 083 809 3257.

Luphert Chilwane, NUM Media Officer, 083 809 3255