As darkness settled on the collapsed shaft of the Makonjwaan Gold Mine, rescue workers continue to search for three missing workers.
According to Amcu’s national coordinator for health and safety, Gabriel Nkosi, the other 115 mine workers on site – including the 87 who had been working underground at the time of the incident – were all accounted for. No serious injuries have been reported.
The miners were working in the Lily mine shaft of Makonjwaan Gold mine in Mpumalanga’s Nkomazi area, near Barberton, when the earth collapsed at about 8.00am today.
The missing three had been working above ground when the “crown pillar” at level three in the shaft collapsed, said Nkosi. The building in which they had been working fell in to the resulting sinkhole.
Exactly why the disaster happened will now be investigated. But, said Nkosi: “It is clear the pillar was under stress. We are questioning the mine owners’ overall risk assessment, and their controls are a worry.”
In a statement, mine owners Vantage Goldfields said: “An accurate update on the wellbeing of all employees will be provided as soon as this information becomes available, but there are no reports of any injuries to the evacuated miners.”
Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane said: “It is worrying that we are seeing such serious accidents so early in the year. We urge all parties to continue prioritising safety, so that we can realise our ultimate goal of zero harm. It is imperative that each mineworker returns home, unharmed, every day.”
