Worker dies at Northam Platinum mine
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Tuesday that a worker had died at Northam Platinum’s Rustenburg mine following an explosion, and investigations were ongoing into the incident.
It was not immediately clear if the mine or the section of the mine where the accident took place would be closed.
The NUM said one other worker was critically injured on Monday night after a section of a tunnel in which he was working in collapsed. He is currently in hospital.
“A mineworker died this afternoon at Northam Platinum in Rustenburg at 21 level due to methane explosion,” the NUM said in a statement.
Northam, which is majority-owned by Mvelaphanda Resources, and operates one mine, which is the world’s deepest platinum mine.
Mvela and Northam are currently friendly takeover targets of the world’s number two platinum producer, Impala Platinum in a R21,2-billion shares and cash deal.
Marion Brower, a spokesperson for Northam, said it was still too early to tell what action may be taken on the mine and added that investigations were ongoing.
South Africa, the world’s top source of platinum and a major gold producer, has an appalling mine safety record and so far this year about 145 workers have died in various incidents.
The government has routinely shut down operations temporarily after deaths so that companies can probe the cause of the accidents and make safety improvements. - Reuters
