Gold mine in South Africa: Hundreds of miners are trapped underground due to the actions of colleagues

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Due to a protest by colleagues, several hundred miners in South Africa became trapped in their mine. About 447 people were trapped underground, Gold One, the operator of the stricken Springs gold mine in eastern Johannesburg, said on Friday. The government expressed concern about the increase in such protests in the mining sector.

A small group of miners wearing balaclavas took away their colleagues’ entry and exit cards, which were required for security reasons, so they could no longer return to the surface, Gold One’s head of legal department Ziyaad Hassam explained .

Police monitored events but initially found no criminal activity, a spokeswoman said.

Dispute between unions

The background to the dispute is disputes between rival unions. As recently as October, about 500 miners were trapped underground in the same mine for three days because colleagues from the other union would not let them out.

Hassam said the reason for the new incident was not yet clear. However, the company suspects that there is a connection with disciplinary procedures following the events in October. After the hearings, 50 employees were fired on Thursday.

This week, a corporate investigator was murdered, Hassam added. South African media quoted police as saying a 55-year-old man had been shot dead in his car, without providing a motive.

Deepest mines in the world

Hundreds of thousands of people work in the mines of South Africa. The country is the largest platinum producer in the world and also one of the leading exporters of gold, diamonds, coal and other raw materials. Fatal accidents happen again and again in the deepest mines in the world.

Meanwhile, in western Pretoria, about 250 miners at a platinum mine went on strike for higher wages. According to media reports, an agreement was reached on Friday after three days of underground protests. Broadcaster Enca reported that 100 workers had surfaced and the rest would soon follow.

South Africa’s Department of Natural Resources expressed concern about the “growing trend” of underground protests. “This poses a serious health and safety risk that could lead to injury and loss of life,” spokesperson Makhosonke Buthelezi told AFP. (AFP/kes)

Source: Blick