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12 July, 2010
Seven miners were killed in three separate underground mine accidents in South Africa last week, including five contract workers at Aquarius Platinum’s Marikana mine in the Bushveld area near Rustenburg, North West Province.
The other deaths occurred at AngloGold Ashanti’s Tau Lekoa gold mine on 7 July, where an explosion took the life the life of a miner, and at Imperial Platinum’s Rustenburg mine, where an underground rock slide crushed a worker. Both are also in North West Province, with the Tau Lekoa mine extending into Free State Province.
At Aquarius, two other miners were trapped at the Marikana mine late in the evening of 6 July when a large segment of an underground shaft collapsed. One of those miners suffered serious injuries, while the other was rescued unscathed. Rescue teams from nearby Impala Platinum and a Lonmin mine assisted in the rescue. All workers were employed by Murray and Roberts Cementation.
Aquarius has closed the No. 4 shaft of Marikana, which supplies the Australian-based company, the world’s fourth largest platinum producer, with 50% of Marikana’s production.
The shaft remained closed early this week, and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said it would take its mandatory one-day period of mourning once the mine reopens.
“Once this suspension is lifted, we will embark on a day of mourning, which means there won't be any work done at the mine on that day,” said NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka.
“This is a disaster,” added NUM General Secretary Frans Baleni. “At a time when the industry brags of so-called improved safety, we now have disasters raising their ugly heads again,” he added. The NUM has called for a full investigation.
NUM General Secretary, Frans Baleni
Impala Platinum’s Rustenberg mine death comes 50 weeks after nine miners tragically died at the Lease Mine No. 14 near Rustenburg, which was South Africa’s worst disaster in 2009. Impala, the world’s number two platinum producer, led all producers in South Africa in mining deaths last year. The country mines and processes 80% of all global platinum, which is used in electronics, catalytic converters, and jewelry.
AngloGold has had a deal in place since 2008 to sell the Tau Lekoa mine to Simmer and Jacks, but internal problems within the latter company has prevented conclusion of the sale.