Johannesburg - A miner was killed on Saturday during a rock fall at Exxaro's Arnot coal mine in Mpumalanga, the Num said.
“The National Union of Mineworkers is deeply saddened that its member was fatally injured at Arnot mine today,” Health and Safety Secretary Erick Gcilitshana said in a statement.
The union said it believed all accidents could be prevented.
“Fall of rocks has been one of the major killers in the mining industry. We call upon the mining companies to invest more money in protecting the lives of workers than focusing more on profits,” he said.
Gcilitshana called on the department of mineral resources to launch an investigation into the incident. He said the union would participate in the investigation to leave no stone unturned.
“It is intolerable that mine workers are denied their basic human right to work in an environment that guarantees their safety, and that instead they are expected to go to work to die,” he said.
The company was not immediately available for comment.
Sapa