Sibanye workers begin to surface after accident at South African gold mine

Getty images

Nearly one-third of the 260 miners trapped underground following an accident at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Kloof gold mine in South Africa were successfully brought to the surface on Friday, according to the company. A senior union official confirmed that no injuries had occurred during the incident.

The miners became stuck when the hoist system used to access the shaft at the Kloof mine—one of Sibanye’s deepest, located about 60 km (37 miles) west of Johannesburg—was damaged in an accident on Thursday.

By 1:30 p.m. (1130 GMT), Sibanye reported that 79 employees had been safely extracted in the first phase of rescue efforts. “The remaining 181 employees… have been provided with food and will be hoisted to the surface as soon as safety to hoist is confirmed,” the company stated.

A spokesperson from Sibanye told Reuters on Friday afternoon that the extraction process was expected to be completed soon.

“Fortunately, there were no fatalities or injuries,” said National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Health and Safety Chairperson Duncan Luvuno. However, he noted that the miners had gone nearly 24 hours without food or water, which was inadequate, especially for those with chronic health conditions.

Security guards prevented journalists from approaching the mine shaft, but a Reuters reporter observed some miners—appearing exhausted but healthy—making their way toward buses at the perimeter of the company grounds.

Family members of the remaining trapped miners voiced their anxiety and distress. “I haven’t slept a wink,” said Mamodise Mokone, whose husband was still underground. “I just want to tell the management or whoever is in charge: I just want my husband out alive.”

Earlier, Sibanye assured that all workers were safe following what it termed a “shaft incident” at the Kloof 7 shaft. The miners had gathered at an assembly point as efforts continued to bring them to the surface.