Johannesburg – Two mineworkers have been trapped at Sibanye Gold’s Cooke operations in Westonaria since Monday, following an attempt at illegal mining, while another worker died in a separate accident at the same mine on Tuesday.
Sibanye Gold on Tuesday released a statement relaying the incidents at the Cooke operations, west of Johannesburg.
Spokesperson James Wellsted said the first incident, which occurred on Monday, affected two contractors at Cooke 1 Shaft, who were allegedly engaged in illegal mining activities at the end of their shift.
“The affected employees appear to have entered an abandoned and sealed raise line, close to the one they were supposed to be working in, when they were trapped by a fall of ground in the area. Rescue efforts led by the Proto teams have commenced, and the teams have been working tirelessly since yesterday (Monday) in an effort to reach the trapped miners,” Wellsted said in a statement.
Wellsted said they had advised the Department of Mineral Resources and were working together to bring the employees out.
“We are also in contact with their families and remain hopeful that we will be successful in our rescue operations.”
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which is the majority union at Sibanye, condemned the illegal activities of the mineworkers and said it was unsure which union the workers belonged to.
“We have not been informed about this incident. However, we have always stood against illegal mining because it costs the economy billions of rand every year,” NUM spokesperson, Livhuwani Mammburu said.
Meanwhile, Wellsted said a miner was fatally injured in a separate incident in a materials handling accident involving a pinch bar at Cooke 3 Shaft on Tuesday.
Sibanye CEO, Neal Froneman, in a statement sent his condolences the dead mineworker’s family.
“We wish to send our condolences to his family and friends. We remain committed to safe production and will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure compliance to safety standards and procedures,” Froneman said.
African News Agency