Hundreds of workers remain underground at the Kloof gold mine near Johannesburg following a “shaft incident” on Friday (May 23). The incident occurred at Sibanye-Stillwater’s sub-shaft, but all 260 employees have been accounted for and are safe, according to the mining company. They have been provided with food and are expected to be brought to the surface by Friday afternoon.
Sibanye-Stillwater stated that the workers are not trapped. Instead, they are staying at the sub-shaft station as a precautionary measure. “Following a detailed risk assessment, it was decided that employees should remain at the sub-shaft station until it is safe to proceed to the surface, in order to avoid walking long distances at this time,” the company said.
They estimate that all employees will be brought to the surface around midday.
Initial investigations revealed that the Kloof 7 sub-shaft rock winder skip door opened at the loading point on level 39, impacting levels 40 and 41 below. The open door caused some damage at level 35, which has since been repaired. Sibanye-Stillwater is actively implementing safety and shaft examination procedures before beginning to hoist employees to the surface.
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