‘Through God’s grace we will find the miners alive’

THEY are still alive. The Association for Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) believes the three mine workers trapped underground at Lily Mine in Barberton will make it out alive.

Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa said they were “very optimistic” about the survival chances of the workers, who were trapped when a section of the mine collapsed on Friday.

“The situation is at a stage where it is taxing in terms of hope and patience. The proto teams are really working hard and tirelessly. The effort they’re displaying is immense. But we are praying to God for a miracle,” said Mathunjwa.

He was speaking to the media outside the Vantage Goldfields mine, where the search for workers entered its fifth day yesterday.

Pretty Nkambule, Yvonne Mnisi and Solomon Nyerende were in a lamp-room, a container bearing workers’ equipment, when the mine collapsed.

While 76 other workers escaped with minor injuries, the three were yet to be accounted for. “We can’t even explain it, but we are really praying to God that His mercy will be realised today. No words can describe the situation and we can only imagine what the three are going through,” he said.

“We still have hope. There is a sound from the container, but with time, there is only so much the body can take without water. But through God’s grace we believe we will find them alive,” Mathunjwa said.

He said it was difficult to articulate the situation as there was no realistic way of determining how the trapped workers were doing.

“In situations like these, there are no words to describe the situation. We really believe God’s miracle will happen and amaze everyone,” he said. “The families are coping. They are singing, praising and praying.”

The mine’s operation manager, Mike Begg, remained hopeful, despite the rescuers having lost contact with the workers for several hours on Monday. He said they believed that with each rock blast and drill, they were getting closer.

“At 4am yesterday, we heard a strong signal. One bash from us, a bash from them; double tap from us, double tap from them; a triple tap from us, a triple tap from them. That definitely showed there’s someone alive in that container,” he said.

Begg said they started using an electromagnetic survey, a machine that picked up electromagnetic signatures from rocks, to guide the rescuers.

“We’ve managed 500 tons of rock coming out of the two drill points that we’ve created. But the question is, how long can those people survive,” he said.

“The moment we see half an inch of that container, we will cut it open and get them out.

“We have two teams of seven or eight members alternating between shifts and have worked a total of 108 hours since Friday.

“There is another team operating on the surface. It’s a 24hour operation,” he said.