22 August 2026
SUMMARY: AMCU mourns the death of a mineworker in a winch-related accident at Marula Platinum and extends its condolences to his family and colleagues. The fatality again highlights the mining industry’s failure to prevent deaths arising from known hazards. AMCU calls for effective safety measures, stronger legal accountability, and consequences for those responsible for serious safety failures.
The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has been informed of a fatal accident at Marula Platinum’s Clapham North Shaft in Limpopo. According to the preliminary report, the incident occurred at approximately 03:30 on 21 August 2026.
It is reported that a centre gully winch operator experienced difficulty while using the winch to move the scraper. After stopping the equipment to establish what was wrong, he discovered a mineworker lying in the centre gully, facing upwards, about five metres below the advance strike gully (ASG) winch.
The information available at this stage indicates that the mineworker came into contact with the scraper winch ropes and sustained fatal injuries. He died at the scene. The investigation, including an in loco inspection, is under way, and the precise circumstances must still be established.
“We convey our sincere condolences to the deceased mineworker’s family, friends, colleagues, and comrades. They have lost a loved one, while his fellow workers have lost someone with whom they shared the dangers and demands of underground work”, said AMCU President Joseph Mathunjwa.
The death raises the number of fatalities in the South African mining industry to 44 in 2026, compared with 41 recorded in 2025.
“Scraper winches have been used in underground mining for many years, and the dangers associated with their ropes and moving components are well understood. A worker should not lose his life because safeguards against an established hazard were absent, inadequate, or not properly applied”, Mathunjwa said.
“The industry cannot claim to be surprised whenever a familiar danger kills a mineworker. The important question is what happened to the measures that were supposed to keep workers away from the danger area and prevent contact with the ropes. That question must be answered fully and honestly”, he added.
This is reportedly the third winch-related mining fatality in South Africa during 2026. Its circumstances require careful examination of the controls applying to scraper-winch operations, including the isolation of equipment, access to danger areas, guarding or barricading, communication between workers, supervision, training, and compliance with the applicable procedures.
“When a danger is already understood, the duty is not merely to mention it in a document. The employer must ensure that the measures intended to control it are present, understood, enforced, and checked where the work is actually performed. If any part of that system failed, those responsible must account for it”, Mathunjwa continued.
AMCU demands more than a report identifying shortcomings after a worker has been killed. Where the evidence establishes that an employer, manager, or any other responsible person failed to take the measures required to protect workers, meaningful consequences must follow.
The Union has consistently called for the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) to be strengthened so that responsibility for serious safety failures cannot be avoided through corporate structures or administrative processes. Persons whose acts or omissions cause injury or death must be capable of being held personally accountable.
“No pressure, threat, or intimidation will silence us on the loss of life in the mining industry. We will continue demanding workplaces in which mineworkers can complete their shifts without paying for production with their lives”, Mathunjwa concluded.
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For more information or media interviews, contact AMCU President Joseph Mathunjwa.