South African Mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe has called for vigilance on health and safety at mines following the rescue of 1 800 workers who were trapped underground at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Thembelani shaft at Rustenburg.
They were trapped underground at a Sibanye Gold platinum operation after an incident in the shaft, the company said.
“Every worker must return home safe.”
RELATED CONTENT
- Tip head incident triggers an investigation
- Liebherr rollover at Mount Arthur
- CFMEU and Regulators Convenient Relationship
- Pike River Survivor tells his story
The department will begin a “comprehensive investigation” into the matter, the statement added.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the department confirmed that all the trapped miners had been brought to the surface, News24 reported.
The incident occurred when some rails being transported underground fell down the shaft and blocked it, said Sibanye spokesman James Wellsted on Tuesday.
Sibanye last year experienced a spike in fatal accidents.
About 1 000 workers were also trapped underground for more than a day at one of its gold mines in February 2018 after a power failure.
Read more Mining Safety News
Add Comment