01 Apr 2019

BCL and Tati Nickel mines were placed under liquidation by order of the High Court on October 9, 2016.

Minister Eric Molale of mineral resources, green technology and energy security, said the provisional liquidator terminated the employment of 4 346 BCL employees and 705 Tati Nickel mine employees with effect from October 31 of the same year.

Mr Molale stated that salaries of active employees were paid by BCL mine up to September 2016.

He said at the onset of the liquidation, the provisional liquidator, after calculations, determined that payments due to employees at termination of their employ amounted to P239.2 million.

The amount, he said, included outstanding salaries and benefits, leave payments, severance benefits and salaries for October 2016.

He said to date outstanding amount payable to employees who were terminated on October 31 was P4.5 million. He said it comprised P36 000 of not yet claimed salaries whose beneficiaries had not yet come forward to claim.

Furthermore, he said there was P2.2 million of repatriation fees, being the money reserved to cover repatriation costs when employees vacated BCL houses.

In addition, he said there was P2.3 million kept as security deposits against the employees still occupying company houses. He said the money would be paid out at the end of each employee’s tenure.

Francistown West MP, Mr Ignatius Moswaane had asked the minister to explain the estimated and actual amount owed to former employees of BCL and Tati Nickel mines in terms of salaries, leave payments and severance benefits before and after liquidation. ENDS