The body of the last missing miner was found at Carletonville’s Driefontein mine on Wednesday afternoon, bringing the death toll since Tuesday to five.
Gold Fields spokesperson Willie Jacobsz said: ”Unfortunately, he was not found alive.”
The five were among 10 miners trapped almost 2km underground after seismic activity at the mine’s Number 2 shaft on Tuesday morning. Five miners survived, three of whom are recovering in hospital.
”All the miners are now accounted for,” Jacobsz said.
Six teams of specialist rescuers operated in relays of 90 minutes in the search for the miners, working painstakingly through damaged areas.
An investigation conducted with the Department of Minerals and Energy and the mineworkers’ unions will begin into the cause of their deaths. The shaft will remain closed until the conclusion of the investigation.
Meanwhile, the South African Communist Party expressed concern about the safety of mine workers in the industry.
This is reflected by the deaths of the Driefontein miners, it said in a statement.
”We are gravely concerned because it is clear that safety of workers does not seem to be a priority to the mining management.
”The SACP supports the National Union of Mineworkers in calling on the management to take seriously the safety of workers by ensuring that all the cracks and other life-threatening conditions are removed as a matter of urgency.”
It also called on the government to improve enforcement capacity of safety regulations.
NUM secretary general Gwede Mantashe said it believes mining fatalities in South Africa remain very high.
”Over the last few years, there has been a visible improvement, but it can improve further,” he said. ”Particularly if it can resist production pressures like the value of the rand.”
The Department of Minerals and Energy, which oversees safety requirements, visited the site earlier on Wednesday.
The names of the miners will be released following certainty that all family members have been informed. — Sapa