Rescue workers were still battling on Thursday to find the eight miners believed to be trapped in a fire that broke out in the number 7 shaft at Buffelsfontein mine near Stilfontein late the previous night.
And the fire has prompted a complaint from the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) that underground blazes are becoming a serious problem in mining.
Nine miners at Buffelsfontein were unaccounted for, with eight believed to be trapped in the area where the fire broke out.
Asked if the workers were still thought to be alive, Solidarity spokesperson Reint Dykema said: ”It’s not looking good.” Beatrix and Oryx mines’ proto-teams were still struggling to put out the fire. The blaze was started by a short circuit in an exposed cable that ignited the protective cladding on the shafts.
Said Simmer & Jack chief operations officer Deon van der Mescht: ”Our focus is on finding the miners, not stopping the fire. We don’t want to compromise the miners’ safety.”
The fire is a serious setback for the mine, which was taken over by Simmer & Jack after being liquidated in March last year. Also in March, a tremor destroyed the number 5 shaft, killing five.
The NUM’s Eric Gcilitshana said underground fires were becoming a major problem in the industry. ”In 2003 there was a fire at East Rand Proprietary Mines which continued for a month, and another at Driefontein which killed about five people. In 2004 there was another at Northam Platinum which took nine lives.”
Van der Mescht said the workforce was trained in occupational safety after the takeover. A new campaign was launched two months ago to promote worker awareness.