‘How I survived mine rock fall’
Survivor heard blasts before rock fall
One of the survivors of the accident that killed three mine workers at Harmony Gold’s Kusasalethu mine believes a faulty hose pipe saved his life.
The man, who asked not to be identified, said yesterday that minutes before he heard the first of five blasts he went to investigate why there was no water coming out of the hose pipe he was using on Friday morning.
The rock drill operator said he heard three loud blasts which were followed by two more.
“When I looked behind it was dark. I called my colleagues to try and rescue my team members,” he explained.
He said the entire area in which he and six team members were working was closed off by the subsequent rock fall.
The man, who has been working at the mine since 2015, added that one of his dead colleagues asked for water while they attempted unsuccessfully to clear the area.
“And then he went silent,” he said.
He described the men as brothers with whom he lived with at work and after hours.
Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) Gauteng regional chairman Lennox Tshisa said the five workers were trapped when their entire working base collapsed due to a seismic event. “We still hope the two trapped mineworkers will be found alive,” Tshisa said.
Amcu said of the five mineworkers two were from Limpopo, while others were from North West, Free State and Lesotho.
Tshisa said Amcu would wait for the investigation into what led to the rock fall.
National Union of Mineworkers health and safety secretary Erick Gcilitshana said: “One of the three deceased miners whose bodies were retrieved was a 25-year-old who buried his father last month and he left a three-month-old son [behind]. It is painful and sad for the family. The lives of workers must always be prioritised to save lives...” Harmony Gold said rescue operations were continuing.