A tragic accident at Impala Platinum’s (Implats) Rustenburg mine on Monday claimed the lives of 11 workers and injured 75 others in the worst incident to rock Implats in 50 years.
CEO Nico Muller described it as the “darkest day” in the company’s history.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the loss of our colleagues and are in the process of ensuring all next of kin have been contacted.
“Implats is offering ongoing support to the families and colleagues of those lost in service. We also hold our injured colleagues in our thoughts at this incredibly difficult time,” Muller said on Tuesday.
The accident has raised questions about the safety of mining operations in SA, which have been plagued by fatalities and injuries for years. According to industry lobby group Minerals Council SA, 49 miners died on the job in 2022 — the lowest on record but still far from the industry’s goal of zero harm.
The council, which has recorded 41 fatalities in the year to date by Friday, three fewer than the same time in 2022, said the accident is a “terrible blow” to its ambition of ending 2023 with fewer fatalities than in the previous year.
Implats said it will investigate what led to the incident and share the findings with the wider industry.
The accident, which has left 14 of the 75 hospitalised employees in critical condition, has drawn sharp criticism from trade union federation Cosatu, which said it believes negligence was involved in the accident.
“The federation calls for an immediate investigation into the cause of the accident. Those who might be found guilty of negligence must face the full might of the law,” Cosatu said in a statement. “We further call on the department of mineral resources & energy to disperse a team of experts to guarantee that the investigation on the matter is not compromised.”
Implats said the accident occurred at 11 Shaft, a 1,000m deep mine with 20 levels. The lift that carries workers up and down the shaft was on its way to 17 level when it suddenly changed direction and started falling. The automatic emergency system that should have stopped the lift failed to work, even though the winder rope remained intact.
Failure
The lift came to a sudden stop at level 20, about 180m below 17 level and close to the bottom of 11 Shaft. The counterweight, which balances the weight of the conveyance and the rope, reached the top of the winding infrastructure on the surface, and, as designed, was caught in jack catches, which are safety devices that prevent a conveyance from falling further down the shaft in the case of a rope breakage.
This resulted in a sudden, almost instantaneous halt of the lift, exerting a tremendous force on the 86 employees who were standing upright in the lift at the time.
“Given that the lift was still attached to the winder rope as it slipped, the lift was not in freefall and, as a result, the precise break force is not currently known,” spokesperson Johan Theron said in a statement, referring to hoists used to raise and lower conveyances within the mine shaft.
“The mechanisms used to operate the conveyance system and the safety protocols involved in arresting falls in such systems are known to be safe and are used in mining operations globally. The failure of the arrest safety protocol is therefore unusual, highlighting the tragic nature of this accident.”
Mining operations were suspended for Tuesday.
The mine is located at the company’s Rustenburg mining complex and is an important money spinner for Implats.
Shares in the company gave up as much as 8% to R77.02 on the JSE, signalling market concerns about the potential loss of production. Operations in the affected shaft in Rustenburg are suspended to allow for a full investigation of the incident.
“It’s the human element that will cause the biggest loss in production and possibly the largest cost to rectify and return the mine/shaft to normal production,” said Peter Major, a veteran mining analyst and director of mining at Modern Corporate Solutions.
“This was a very serious, rare and so far unexplained accident. There’s going to be a lot of serious investigation, along with the usual grandstanding, witch-hunts, finger-pointing, politicising and similar.”
According to data from the Minerals Council SA, 49 mineworkers died on the job in 2022 compared with 74 in 2021 and 60 in 2020.
“This is a tragic accident. It serves as a stark reminder that there can never be any lapse in focus and vigilance regarding safety on mines. It is the most important aspect of mining and the one that receives our undivided leadership attention.
“We call on all our members to reinvigorate their safety programmes and initiatives,” said Japie Fullard, chair of the CEO Zero Harm Forum, a Minerals Council SA initiative.
With Kabelo Khumalo
Update: November 28 2023
This story has been updated with new information.
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