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Mantashe questions quality of underground conveyor belt

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Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe has questioned the quality of the underground conveyor belt at Palabora Mining Company in Limpopo.

Mantashe has gone underground for inspection after six miners were trapped by fire and died over the weekend. He says investigations into the incident must be completed within one month.

“What we have done is to identify a number of areas that must receive additional attention in the inquiry. We will have an enquiry, and we said some of the things that we have to look into is the quality of the belt itself. There’s a question that must be answered about its quality. Why the pipes burnt down? They must be investigated further. That will depend on the enquiry. An investigation to an accident takes about a month normally, within a month we must be able to complete the investigation.”

AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa says there must be consequences for the Palabora Mining Company, if it is found to have been negligent. Mathunjwa says the fact that the workers were killed inside a refugee bay poses serious safety concerns.

“With the explanations that we received from the management, saying there were doing a shut-down for six days to repair the main belt. If those workers killed inside the refugee bay that it poses a serious question. I meant as things stand it cannot be that workers are always been killed and there’s consequences to the bosses.”

Meanwhile, the six mineworkers who died have been identified by their families. Police spokesperson Moatshe Ngoepe says the deceased are from various villages in Phalaborwa.

“The people who perished during this incident were positively identified by their families being Shaun Mashego aged 26, Peter Selowa aged 32, Vula Mayindi aged 60, Peter Segobela aged 29, Lebogang Maake aged 37 and Russel Ricardo aged 24 the cause of this incident is part of our investigation which are still unfolding.”

OUTRO: Mine operations have been suspended.


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