Eleven people lost their lives and 75 fellow miners were critically injured at the Impala Platinum Mine following a tragic incident on Monday afternoon. According to the company’s report, the incident was linked to a malfunction of the winder rope associated with the personnel conveyance. This component plays a critical role in safely lowering and raising employees within the shaft.
After the tragic incident, the company temporarily halted its operations at its Rustenburg Mining complex on Tuesday. Impala said in a statement that workers were being brought to the surface at the end of their shift on Monday, when the conveyance system that carries workers up and down an underground shaft 1 000 meters (3 281 ft) deep started a rapid descent.
The Johannesburg-based platinum mine's Chief Executive Officer, Nico Muller said 86 workers were involved in the incident at its No. 11 shaft. The injured were admitted to four hospitals in the area, and a company spokesperson said medical physicians had classified 14 workers in the hospital as "high priority".
"Today is the darkest day in the history of Impala and our hearts are heavy for the lives lost and the individuals affected by this devastating incident," said Muller in a statement. Muller said at a media briefing that the conveyance system had been tested before being used, and indications were the core systems were active and operational.
He said an investigation has to lead them to understand how, with a positive signal on the safety systems, they still have an incident where a conveyance starts gravitating to the bottom and then gets into uncontrollable descent. "All mining operations at the Rustenburg complex were suspended on Tuesday. The halt could be extended to Wednesday to allow the company to 'mourn and heal emotionally'. Impala investigations into the cause of the accident had begun," said Spokesperson Johan Theron.
Minister of Minerals Gwede Mantashe said emotions must not be used to deal with this tragedy. He said there is going to be an investigation and an inquiry to the tragedy. The right area to give evidence is in that investigation and that inquiry, said Mantashe. "If you give evidence now, you might as well use that evidence as a defence mechanism and repel everybody else. Everybody must interact with the information in the inquiry because otherwise, the union says this is what happened, and then evidence proves something else. "
The government will facilitate the process, and the company will provide evidence. The system of inquiry is a norm in mining. We are going to do what is prescribed by law in the mining industry," he said. Meanwhile, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), wants “negligent” mine bosses to be charged with culpable homicide in cases of workers dying while on-site.
AMCU is the only recognised union at the Impala mine, with a majority of members being part of the union. Speaking at the briefing, AMCU President Joseph Mathunjwa spoke about the need to have serious consequences for companies neglecting worker safety. Impala Platinum Mine shares in Johannesburg were down 8 percent The deaths in Rustenburg mine adds to the 41 fatalities that have been recorded in South Africa's Mining industry this year so far.
Spokesperson Johan Theron said he could not be precise about the impact of the stoppage on Impala's metals output. "It's impossible to quantify the impact on production save to say No. 11 shaft on its own is a very large complex and contributes roughly 15 percent of Impala Rustenburg's production," he said. "To the extent that it's stopped for any length of time, it will have a corresponding impact on the entire company. The affected shaft could take longer to re-open as authorities and the company needs to conduct thorough investigations," said Mandi Dungwa, an analyst at Camissa Asset Management.
"This looks like a mechanical failure so it may take time for the investigations to be concluded," Dungwa told Mo Media. "However, as long it's going to be closed, it will have an impact on production, and costs." Premier Maape says he is hopeful that an investigation which is already underway will not only reveal the cause but will bring forward recommendations that will put an end to such unfortunate incidents.
Sending his heartfelt condolences Premier Maape says his thoughts are with the bereaved families during this difficult time, and wished the injured mine workers who are currently receiving medical attention at various hospitals, a speedy and full recovery.
“I also sympathize with the mine management, colleagues, friends and families of the deceased mine workers because of the emotional trauma they are going through. I remain hopeful that the psycho-social support provided will yield desired results” remarked Premier Maape.
