The latest deaths of five mineworkers in two separate incidents at the Doornkop mine in Soweto and Joel Mine in the Free State respectively has sparked fresh calls for comprehensive investigations.
Harmony Gold confirmed that the incidents happened on Tuesday, at two of its mines although unrelated.
Mining expert at the Bench Marks Foundation David Van Wyk said that earth seismic is common in the mining industry due to the earth being fragile.
“According to the initial reports, while the miners were in the process of drilling the face in the development end, an explosion occurred of which the cause is unknown.
Unfortunately, two employees, both rock drill operators were injured and declared deceased on the scene” said Van Wyk
Moreover, Van Wyk said that it is unfortunate that these deaths happened shortly after Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, released the latest mining health and safety statistics.
The results noted the lowest number of mineworker deaths ever registered at 42, and that this also represented a 24% decrease when compared to the 55 deaths in 2023.
Meanwhile, Trade Union federation, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said it is saddened by the latest incidents.
Cosatu’s National spokesperson Zanele Sabela called on the Minister to ensure that the department tables the long-awaited Mine Health and Safety Amendment Bill at Parliament as it’ll help strengthen protections for mineworkers and compel employers to tighten safety mechanisms.
“COSATU is confident that its Affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), will continue to engage and work with employers to ensure they improve on safety measures as they collectively strive for zero harm.
Also of concern to the federation are the occupational diseases that continue to afflict mineworkers such as silicosis and TB,” said Sabela.
COSATU urged all workers who have suffered TB in the mines or any other lung disease to follow the necessary process to check their eligibility to claim for compensation from the Medical Bureau of Occupational Diseases (MBOD).
“Any mineworker who worked in the mines for more than five years is entitled to a free medical benefit examination to determine whether they have silicosis or TB as defined in the trust deed,” explained Sabela.
Both the NUM and COSATU said their invested in ensuring the mining industry, which is a jobs rich sector, attains its goal of zero harm.
