This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
BL Premium reports that a tragic accident at Impala Platinum’s (Implats’) Rustenburg mine on Monday claimed the lives of 11 workers and injured 75 others.
Implats CEO Nico Muller described it as the “darkest day” in the company’s history. Implats said it would investigate what led to the breakage of a winder rope connected to the personnel conveyance — which hoists employees up and down the shaft. The conveyance was bringing staff members to the surface after their shift, when it suddenly fell down the shaft, minutes before 5pm on Monday. Its rapid descent was stopped by the counterweight – a heavy mass that balances the weight of the conveyance and the rope and which prevents a conveyance from falling further down the shaft in a case where a rope snaps. “It is important to reflect that this conveyance system is used worldwide and extensively in SA and they are notoriously safe for many decades. It is important for us to thoroughly investigate, not just for ourselves but to share with the entire industry why this occurred and how a similar incident can be prevented in future,” spokesperson Johan Theron indicated. “This was a very serious, rare and so far unexplained accident. There’s going to be a lot of serious investigation, along with the usual grandstanding, witch-hunts, finger pointing, politicising and similar,” commented mining analyst Peter Major. The accident drew sharp criticism from trade union federation Cosatu, which said it believed negligence was involved in the accident.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by by Nico Gous & Andries Mahlangu at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
- Read too, Impala Mine to remain closed after cage with miners plunges, at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page