Operations will resume at Impala Platinum’s (Implats’) Rustenburg mine on Thursday following a tragic accident on Monday that has claimed more than 10 lives, and injured scores of other miners.
Implats, which has described the incident as the “darkest day” in the group’s 50-year history, said on Wednesday that another employee succumbed to his injuries, taking the death toll to 12.
“It is with deep sadness and regret Implats reports that an employee, who was hospitalised following the accident at Impala Rustenburg’s 11 Shaft on November 27, has died. Implats has offered its condolences to, and remains in close contact with, his family,” the group said.
“Of the 86 employees involved in the accident, 74 remain in hospital. Today’s fatality brings to 12 the total number of employees who have died due to the 11 Shaft accident.”
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 level 17 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.
The lift came to a sudden stop at level 20, about 180m below level 17 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.
Production was suspended for two days to allow precautionary internal and third-party audits on the conveyance and winding systems at every shaft.
“Production at 11 Shaft and 11C Shaft will remain suspended while internal investigations and inquiriesinto the accident are completed, remedial actions and repairs are undertaken and until regulatory approval is granted for the resumption of production. Production at all other Impala Rustenburg shafts will resume on November 30,” the company said.
The accident has drawn sharp criticism by trade union federation Cosatu, which said it believed negligence was involved in the accident.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged stakeholders to assist the chief inspector of mines in the investigation of what led to the tragedy.
“This process is vital to protecting mineworkers in line with the industry’s zero-harm objectives and enabling operational continuity in mines,” the presidency said.
With Andries Mahlangu
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