IMPALA Platinum mine has confirmed that out of the 74 employees hospitalised after the Impala Rustenburg 11 Shaft accident on 27 November, 14 have been discharged.
Of the remaining 60 hospitalised employees, 10 remain in critical care, with no additional fatalities reported.
In a statement, Implats said it has assigned a team of counsellors to support the grieving families and is providing transport and accommodation for them to travel to the Impala Rustenburg operations.
The mine has set aside funds for each family to assist them with the funeral arrangements while the Implats’ We Care programme, which has been in place since 2009, will provide professional therapy, financial assistance, and educational support for the children of deceased employees.
“We have encouraged all affected families to access the Group’s Employee Wellness Programme which provides access to free, around-the-clock, confidential health and psychological support.
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"A support team, comprising human resource professionals and stakeholder representatives, has been assigned to provide ongoing support to the families of our injured colleagues," the mine said.
The mine also said the programme covers school and tertiary fees, uniforms, transportation, textbooks, and extracurricular activities. After completing tertiary education, dependents receive support in entering the formal labour market.
The group’s We Care programme has stepped in to provide continuous and ongoing support to the families of our deceased colleagues," they said.
Implats said it will continue to provide further updates as and when new information becomes available.
