President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed his condolences to the families of the 11 miners who died at the Impala Platinum Mine operation in Rustenburg, North West on Monday.
Seventy-five mineworkers were injured, 10 of them seriously.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says Ramaphosa has also wished the injured workers a speedy recovery.
Magwenya says, “The President extends his thoughts to the management and staff of Implats and wishes the injured workers, especially those who are in critical care, a full recovery.
“President Ramaphosa calls on all stakeholders to assist the Chief Inspector of Mines in the investigation that will be undertaken in terms of the Mine Health and Safety Act. This process is vital to protecting mineworkers in line with the industry’s Zero Harm objectives and enabling operational continuity in mines,” he adds.
Mine safety
Minerals Council of South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane says they have been investing in ways of improving safety at mines for the past 15 years.
Mthenjane has acknowledged that a lot of work needs to be done.
He says, “When it comes to fatalities, we’ve seen fatalities come down from the region of about 1000 in the early 80s and the most recent record achievement was in 2022 when we reached below 50. Now any loss of life can be avoided, so there is improvement. I think this is commendable and we acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to do.”
SABC reporter Sentleeng Lehihi updates on mine accident:
