All 260 employees of gold and platinum miner Sibanye-Stillwater that were trapped underground were safely returned to the surface on Friday night.
Sibanye confirmed in a statement that all 260 employees have safely returned to surface after the shaft incident at Kloof 7 on May 22.
At no point was there any risk of injury to employees during the incident, which occurred when the skip door of the Kloof 7 sub-shaft rock winder opened at the loading point on level 39, affecting levels 40, 41 and below, the group said.
Comprehensive safety inspections and a shaft integrity assessment, along with the necessary repairs, were carried out before employees could be safely brought to surface, it added.
The first group of employees surfaced at 1.30pm on Friday with the remaining workers returning safely from about 7.30pm.
“Based on these safety evaluations, a decision was made for employees to remain at their respective stations underground rather than use emergency escape routes, which would have required long walking distances.”
Mine rescue and medical teams were deployed and measures taken to ensure employees were safe and had access to food and water.
Sibanye-Stillwater said it was engaging with the chief inspector of mines, the department of mineral resources & energy and trade unions. Operations will only resume once all safety and risk assessments are concluded and the shaft is deemed safe, it added.
Reuters reported on Friday that journalists were barred by security guards from getting near to the mine shaft. However, one of its reporters saw some of the miners, looking tired but in good health, walk to the perimeter of the company grounds and board buses.
Joburg-based Sibanye is among only a few SA miners squeezing profits from some of the world’s deepest and costliest gold mines. Sibanye is digging for gold at depths of about 3,200m at the Kloof 7 shaft, Reuters said.
The Kloof mine, which accounts for 14% of Sibanye’s total gold output, also operates two other shafts.
With Reuters
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