By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Harmony Gold confirmed an employee was killed during an early morning fall-of-ground (FOG) incident at the Tshepong North mine near Odendaalrus in the Free State.
“We wish to extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased. The safety of our employees remains our foremost priority and we continue our efforts to ensure these tragedies do not occur. A day of mourning will be observed at the mine,” says CEO Peter Steenkamp.
The affected area has been closed temporarily, while investigations are under way.
The death at Tshepong North comes a month after Harmony reported two employees lost their lives at its Kusasalethu mine following a fall of ground incident caused by a seismic event in Carletonville, Gauteng.
Last year, South Africa’s mining sector had a record year for safety, with a death toll of 49 — still a shocking number at almost one fatality a week, but a vast improvement over just a few years ago. In 2008, for example, 170 miners were killed at work in South Africa, but that represented significant progress. In 1986, the toll was 800 deaths, or almost 16 a week. Injury rates have also declined massively.