The Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) and its sole shareholder, the Mineworkers Investment Trust (MIT), paid tribute to South Africa’s fallen mineworkers by donating a unique collection of 11 sculptures, known as Abasebenzi (Zulu for ‘workers’), to Constitution Hill, in Johannesburg, earlier this month.

The collection depicts the daily trials and tribulations of mineworkers – from working in the stope to carrying out the bodies of their dead colleagues.

“When I made this collection, I wanted to show the suffering of mineworkers and tell the story of what happens underground. I am happy knowing that people will see them in such an important place,” said ex-mineworker and creator of the Abasebenzi collection Louis Chamane, 57.

Chamane was retrenched in 1995 from a gold mine in Boksburg, where he had worked for 11 years, first as a lasher and later as an electrician.

Constitution Hill acting CEO Themba Ntuli noted that, although the collection was only recently discovered by Spaza Art Gallery art curator Andrew Lindsay, the sculptures had been lauded as a “necessary collection”.

“Visitors on walking tours of Constitution Hill will learn about the importance of human rights for mineworkers through the creations of Chamane. Constitution
Hill has a significant linkage with mineworkers, where historically, in 1913 and 1922, they were incarcerated behind these same prison walls. These sculptures will play an imperative role in telling the story of both Constitution Hill and mineworkers in South Africa,” Ntuli added.

The unveiling of the collection formed part of the celebration of the MIC’s 20 years of making a difference, providing ongoing funding for the social and educational projects of its sole shareholder, MIT.

The trust was established in 1995 by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) as a wealth-creating entity to uplift and improve the quality of life of NUM members and ex-members, as well as their families and communities, in the mining, energy and construction industries.

MIC CEO Mary Bomela pointed out that the MIC had benefited the MIT with over R419-million in investments since inception, and had invested R75-million in the trust alone during the 2015 financial year.

“Indeed, I hope the Abasebenzi collection will create awareness for the key role labour plays in uplifting every industry to work together in creating wealth for our economy,” she concluded.