Pretoria - Hope is now at the centre of a revived bid to locate three mineworkers who were trapped when Vantage Goldfields’ Lily Mine in Barberton collapsed two months ago.
A new plan is under consideration not only to recover them, but to also continue with mining operations. The mining company’s spokesman Coetzee Zietsman said there was no reason to believe that they would not be able to reach Yvonne Mnisi, Solomon Nyerende, and Pretty Nkambule.
Read: Fears of closure add to Lily Mine workers' woes
The three mineworkers were trapped when the ground gave in and trapped the trio in February this year.
“The new shaft is one of the options that were on the table when the rescue operations were being planned. There is no reason to believe that we will not be able to find Yvonne, Solomon, and Pretty,” said Zietsman.
He said Vantage Goldfields was designing the plans while trying to raise funds for the new shaft.
“Raising funds for an operation of this nature is more aligned with meeting with our shareholders and investors to discuss how funds can be made available for the incline shaft. New developments are expensive,” said Zietsman.
He could not say how much it would cost the mine to create a new shaft. He added that surveys were currently being conducted on the ground while working out its geological make-up.
Vantage Goldfields chief executive Mike McChesney announced last month that the operation is expected to take six months. McChesney said the decision was taken after numerous consultations with five international geo-technical experts who surveyed the mine and suggested the new move.
Zietsman said the incline shaft would happen a little over a kilometre from Level 5, where the majority of the work at the mine was being done.
In the meantime, the mine is planning on continuing with mining operations. “The decision is based on the fact that we have 917 workers employed by the mine and they have to ensure that there is job security and ensure that the economy of the area where the mine is based is not affected by the tragedy,” said Zietsman.
Although mining operations were still suspended, Zietsman said all the mine’s employees were receiving their basic salaries. Department of Mineral and Resources spokesman Martin Madlala said the department was not privy to the details of the new incline shaft as its main objective was accessing and retrieving the container in which the three mineworkers are believed to be trapped.
PRETORIA NEWS