SOUTH AFRICA’S National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said yesterday it would boycott the anniversary commemoration for three workers abandoned underground.

Solomon Nyerende, Yvonne Mnisi and Pretty Nkambule were trapped half a mile below the surface on February 5 last year when the container office they were working in fell into a sinkhole at the Lily gold mine in Mpumalanga province.

Food and water was lowered to them, but rescue attempts were later called off, supposedly on safety grounds. Another 76 miners had to be rescued from the collapse.