Calls for Safer South African Mines Intensify After 11 Deaths and 75 Injuries Near Rustenburg

The South African mining sector is once again in the headlines for tragedy. Eleven people are dead, and 75 others remain hospitalized, after a fatal accident at a platinum mine in Rustenburg, about 100km (60 miles) northwest of Johannesburg. A lift that was transporting employees at the end of their shift malfunctioned and plunged several floors.

Calls for an investigation into the accident have been made by local organizations and the mining trade union, who are emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced safety measures to prevent such tragedies in the future. Safety at South African mines is an ongoing issue, as the country, which produces large sums of platinum and gold, has some of the world’s deepest minds.

This latest accident took place on Monday, Nov. 27, and was confirmed by the company that owns the mine, Impala Platinum, on Tuesday. As local news organization, EWN reports, the company says the accident occurred in a 1,000-meter-deep shaft, when the cage that carries workers to the surface dropped to the bottom because of a faulty winder rope, killing 11 and leaving 75 others with critical injuries.

The country’s National Union of Mineworkers has shared its statistics with news outlets, stating that fatalities from mining accidents this year are currently sitting at 52, up from last year’s number of 49. But it’s not just the safety of those who work within the mines that remains a dire problem – just last month, a gas leak from a mine in Boksburg killed 17 people in the vicinity outside.

In a public statement, Impala Platinum’s CEO Nico Muller called the accident the “darkest day” in the country’s history, adding that, “our hearts are heavy for the lives lost and the individuals affected by this devasting accident.” An investigation into this latest accident is underway, Impala Platinum and their parent company have pledged ongoing support to the families and colleagues of those who died.