/ 4 October 2007

Harmony mine shut down for weeks

Harmony Gold’s Elandsrand mine near Carletonville has been shut down for up to six weeks after the mine’s main exit was blocked, trapping 3 200 miners underground, the Minerals and Energy Department said on Thursday.

About 800 miners remained trapped more than 2,2km underground by 4pm on Thursday after an all-night rescue mission. Up to 200 women were among those stuck in a cramped space in the mine where temperatures could reach 40 degrees Celsius.

Stranded when the electricity cable of the mine’s main lift was severed in an accident, the miners were being brought up in a small lift slowly to avoid risks, mining officials said.

The mine’s general manager, Stan Bierschenk, earlier on Thursday said the morale of workers still stuck below ground was “fairly brittle”.

Departmental spokesperson Bontle Mafuna said that according to Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, the mine will be closed for a period of three to six weeks.

The announcement was made during a media briefing by the minister as well as by Harmony.

“During the media briefing, it was announced that the mine would be shut down for investigations and repair work,” said Mafuna.

Harmony spokesperson Lizelle du Toit said the mine was shut down on Wednesday. “The mine has effectively been shut down from the time when the incident occurred on Wednesday.”

She said that the media had only been informed of Wednesday morning’s incident later because management only heard of the matter in the afternoon.

Harmony is the world’s fifth-biggest gold producer.

Granny Makad (35), an inspector, told the Mail & Guardian Online on Thursday morning: “It was terrible. There was not enough air and they tried putting in more and ventilating the areas where we were trapped. We were all crying; everyone was so negative and they thought we would die down there.

“There was no phone to call out and that’s what scared us more. It was traumatic and I’m glad I’m safe. My body is tired and I’m thirsty. They gave us water and bread when they rescued us, but my body is still thirsty. I’m glad no one was injured. I’m happy we are safe and OK.”

Sophy Selogilwe (26), an engineer who was also trapped, said: “It was very scary and it was my first experience in a situation like this. The miners were trapped from levels 76 to 150. There was not enough water and food and even air. We were given some this morning. I was rescued around six this morning. I’m glad we are all OK. It is better that we are all alive and that no one was killed or injured that I know of.”

At least one worker had to be treated by paramedics for dehydration.

Wake-up call

Both the company and the mining union said better safety standards were needed at the pit south-west of Johannesburg. Company chairperson Patrice Motsepe described the accident as a “wake-up call to all of us”.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) blamed poor safety standards and Harmony’s practice of mining 24 hours a day. “We suspect negligence. Because of continuous operations there is no time to make adequate checks,” NUM president Senzeni Zokwana told reporters.

Motsepe said additional measures are needed to protect workers. “Our safety records both as a company and as a country leave much to be desired,” he told reporters.

South African gold mines are the deepest in the world and unions have often criticised companies for not doing enough to ensure workers’ safety.

Sonjica, who this week also visited a mine operated by AngloGold Ashanti where four workers were killed in a rock fall, expressed serious concerns about “elements of negligence” in mining. “I would not call it a crisis because mining is risky by nature. But I still think there is room for improvement,” the minister told reporters at the Elandsrand mine on Thursday.