Gold mine stops production after deaths in SA

A South African mine with one of the biggest known deposits of gold in the world has halted production after two employees died in underground accidents this month and the government ordered a stop on activities around the mine’s workshops.

A dump truck reversed over a contractor in one of the accidents at the South Deep mine, and another employee died when he was struck by part of a drill rig in a workshop, said Nick Holland, CEO of the Gold Fields Company.

South African miners have traditionally used hand-held rock drills in tough and sometimes dangerous conditions. But Gold Fields, which has spent $4 billion on South Deep, has described its new mechanized operations there as beneficial for the safety of workers.

Last year, a drill-rig operator at South Deep died in a rock fall. At that time, it was the first fatal mine accident there in more than two years.

The mine has 4,000 employees and between 1,700 and 1,800 contractors, and Gold Fields is talking to unions about possible job cuts.

A labour group, the National Union of Mineworkers, said it was concerned about what it called a plan by Gold Fields to review 500 jobs at South Deep. It expressed concern about the two recent deaths and said the company was “destroying those who are still alive through retrenchment.”