Sorrow at miners’ deaths in fall of ground
3 workers with injuries brought to surface
A 41-year-old driller described his horror at watching two of his dead colleagues lifted to the surface at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Kloof mine.
The miner, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, said they were shocked by the incident at Ikamva shaft 4.5km southwest of Johannesburg, as it could have happened to anyone.
“When I saw them in the stretcher covered all up, I knew they were dead.
“At that moment you just thank God that you made it out of the mine alive because anything is possible when you are down there,” he said.
Sibanye-Stillwater confirmed two miners were fatally wounded during a fall of ground.
Another miner, 33, who also did not want to be named, said the two miners had been trapped underground for 12 hours.
“They were on night shift when the accident happened at around 1am.
“There were five guys down there, of which three came out with injuries, but the rescuers struggled to get to the two, who were only brought to the surface just after 2pm,” he said.
Another miner, 55, who has worked in the mine for 15 years, said that, as miners, the death of a person no longer shocks them.
“Being a miner is very difficult. You go down with a person and when you come out the following day you are told they have passed away – but we don’t have a choice as this is what puts food on the table,” he said.
Sibanye Gold spokesman James Wellsted earlier said operations in the affected area had been suspended pending an investigation.
“Our deepest condolences go to the families, friends and colleagues of these miners. It is a very sad day for us,” Wellsted said.
National Union of Mineworkers’ spokesman Livhuwani Mammburu said: “We are very worried about the safety of mineworkers. Last week we witnessed 900 miners at Sibanye Gold mine in Welkom trapped underground for hours before they were rescued. We continue to witness fatalities in the mining industry, which is not good for our workers as one death is one too many.”