Rustenburg – A search mission to find the missing Impala Platinum Holdings Limited (Implats) miner in Rustenburg continued on Monday.
Rock drill operator, Ohemile Moses Maamogwa, 55, went missing underground following rock fall at Implats’ 1 Shaft in Meriting near Rustenburg last week Tuesday.
He was trapped underground with fellow rock drill operator, Tanki Samuel Lepitikoe, 40. Seven others mineworkers escaped the rock fall unharmed.
Maamogwa from Morokweng village in Vryburg, North West, has not yet been located since the incident occurred.
“We are still tunneling through the rock fall searching for Moses,” said Implats spokesperson Johan Theron.
Lepitikoe’s body was found on Thursday in an area with unstable ground conditions. His body was brought to surface on Friday. He was from Lesotho.
Mineral Resources Minister, Mosebenzi Zwane, on Sunday urged the mining company to do more to improve on its safety.
Read also: Body of trapped Implats miner retrieved
“Much need to be done. People are dying…” he said.
In January, four mineworkers died at Implats’ 14 Shaft in Luka outside Rustenburg when a fire broke out underground.
Zwane was in Rustenburg to convey his condolences to Lepitikoe’s family, while he also met with Maamogwa’s relatives.
He was accompanied by North West premier Supra Mahumapelo, Rustenburg mayor Mpho Khunou and Chamber of Mines president Mike Teke.
Mining operations at Implats’ 1 Shaft have been suspended as the search for Maamogwa continues.
African News Agency