Bloomberg reports that SA’s mining industry is heading for the deadliest year since 2012 after six people died in an underground fire at Palabora Mining Company’s copper mine.  

Sunday’s accident brought the industry’s total to at least 54 and was the second-worst incident this year.  Mining fatalities increased last year for the first time in a decade and, six and a half months into 2018, the industry is on pace for the most deaths since the 112 reported in 2012.  The trend poses questions about the future of mining in SA, as workers follow depleting ore bodies ever deeper in a country that’s been mined commercially for over a century.  The focus on safety this year has mainly fallen on Sibanye-Stillwater, the biggest gold mining employer, whose operations account for 21 deaths so far.  “We want more accountability” and other measures in order to improve safety, Joseph Mathunjwa, president of the Association of Mineworkers & Construction Union (Amcu), said on Monday.  Vehemently condemning the incident, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) urged the Department of Mineral Resources “to play its role in ensuring that mines are safe and put the safety of the mineworkers as a priority.”

• Read this report by Paul Burkhardt and Felix Njini in full at Moneyweb

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