Five workers trapped after mud rush at Ekapa mine in Kimberley
Rescue teams race to pump water from 800-metre shaft as communication with miners is lost
A major rescue operation is underway at Ekapa Mine in Kimberley, Northern Cape, after a mud rush in the early hours of Tuesday trapped five miners nearly 890 metres underground.
Management confirmed that communication with the trapped workers has been lost and rescue teams are pumping water from the shaft as they attempt to reach them.
The Sol Plaatje Municipality has mobilised its emergency services. Municipal communications manager Thabo Mothibi said, “The Sol Plaatje Emergency Services remains on high alert, having responded to an early morning emergency call reporting a mud rush incident. The Sol Plaatje Emergency Services will forever dutifully provide support. Municipality is prepared to render additional assistance should additionally resources or interventions be required.”
Adding critical industry support, Minerals Council South Africa deployed a senior management team to the site. Sietse van der Woude, senior executive: Modernisation and Safety, and Dushendra Naidoo, head: Safety and Sustainable Development, are on the ground working closely with Ekapa management, Mine Rescue Services, the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR), and organised labour.
“Our immediate focus is to offer support to Ekapa’s management, the affected operation, its employees, and their families. Finding the five people who are reported missing in the mud rush is the priority,” said Mzila Mthenjane, CEO of the Minerals Council.
The Minerals Council emphasised that the management of the incident, including emergency response and investigations, remains the responsibility of the mine and relevant authorities, and that it will not speculate on the causes while processes are underway.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) is also seeking access to the mine. NUMSA Kimberley local secretary Tshimologo Mahase said, “It’s really concerning and really bad news that what happened here at Ekapa.
“We are still here as NUMSA and don’t know what really happened. We’re waiting for management to confirm for us what happened and inside the mine so we can hear what happened to those workers who are trapped underground.”
Families of the missing miners have been informed, and all stakeholders remain focused on safely recovering the five miners.
