Andries Ntshenyeho had been about to quit his job as a rock drill operator at Lonmin’s Karee mine to start his own transport business when he was killed by police.
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The 42-year-old father of five, who had worked on the mines around Rustenburg since 1990, had been finalising his plans to resign and follow his dream of starting a transport company in his hometown of Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng.
Thabang, his son, said: “He was planning to buy a 22-seater bus to transport kids to school. He had been saving for the bus for many years. He was going to use the profits there to finance other buses and start a serious transport company.”
Thabang described his father as a “peaceful family man who never partied or drank alcohol”.
“He took good care of us. He was supportive and came home every month end. When he was around he would spend the whole weekend with the family.”
Ntshenyeho’s deepest desire, his son said, was for his children to go to university: “He preached it every day. He liked school and would seize every opportunity to tell us to study so as to avoid turning out as he did.” Thabang said his father often told him “about the difficulties and how they were exploited in the mines”.
Thabang said he would now have to put his study plans on hold and find a job to provide for his family. – Sipho Masondo
