22 May 2025
MEDIA RELEASE
SUMMARY: The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has condemned the latest life-threatening incident at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Kloof 7 Shaft, where a reported 260 mineworkers remain trapped underground following a shaft failure. The Union is demanding full accountability, citing management’s failure to maintain emergency escape infrastructure, delayed provision of food and water, and a pattern of deadly negligence at Sibanye operations. AMCU repeats its clarion call for the Mine Health and Safety Act to be amended to hold mine bosses accountable for killing mineworkers.
According to a preliminary accident report, the incident occurred at approximately 10:00 when a skip derailed into the main cage, tripping the hoisting system and damaging shaft infrastructure. Workers remain stranded at 35, 39, 40 and 41 Levels, more than 3km below surface. While no injuries have been reported thus far, this event yet again exposes the intolerable risks faced by mineworkers in deep-level operations.
AMCU condemns management’s failure to maintain and inspect emergency escape routes, particularly at Thuthukani Shaft, which should have served as an alternate route for evacuation. According to reports received by AMCU, weekly inspections were not conducted as required, and the escape route is currently substandard and unusable — a direct contributing factor to the prolonged entrapment of workers.
“This is not simply an operational mishap. It is a failure of duty, planning, and foresight,” said AMCU President Joseph Mathunjwa. “An emergency escape route is not a theoretical policy requirement. It is a lifeline. And in this case, it was allowed to fall into disrepair”, he said.
Management reportedly began supplying food, water, cold drinks, and sanitary items only at 06:00 on Friday morning, nearly 20 hours after the incident. Supplies are being delivered from sub-levels by Proto Team personnel, and communication is ongoing via emergency control rooms.
This incident again raises serious questions about mine health and safety culture. Despite recent improvements on paper, workers are still exposed to unacceptable levels of risk due to neglect and poor enforcement of protocols.
AMCU is also dismayed by the delayed public disclosure of the incident. Only after media inquiries, was the situation confirmed by Sibanye and the Chief Inspector of Mines.
“The lives of mineworkers are not a PR matter,” said Mathunjwa. “We demand full transparency, urgent reform, and the amendment of the Mine Health and Safety Act to introduce real accountability.”
The Union is monitoring developments closely and remains on standby to support the affected workers and their families. Night shift operations at the shaft have since been suspended.
This is not an isolated incident. As of today, 32 mineworkers have died in South Africa’s mining industry in 2025 alone. Sibanye’s Kloof operations have a long and deadly track record. In October 2023, three (3) workers died in a fall-of-ground at Kloof 4 shaft. In 2018, seven (7) workers were killed in a seismic event, also at Kloof. How many more must be killed before Sibanye-Stillwater is held to account?
“These are not ‘accidents’. They are the inevitable outcomes of a system that puts production ahead of people. Until government enforces safety laws and criminalises corporate negligence, these deaths will continue. How many lives of breadwinners must be lost until the clarion call of AMCU to amend the Mine Health and Safety Act is adhered to? We have called for these companies to be held accountable and liable. The trauma that goes to these families is unacceptable. Until these mines are held accountable, there will be no consequences”, Mathunjwa said.
“The blood of our members is being spilled in the dark, deep underground, as a sacrifice for the opulent life and super profits of these multinationals – a sacrifice on the altar of capitalism”, said Mathunjwa.
“All of these things happened due to the “rush gold hour” and the rush to take out as much gold as possible. We have requested an audience with the Minister [of Mineral and Petroleum Resources], but to this day there has been no response”, he added.
Our prayers are with those who are still trapped and the Proto Team. We have dispatched our National Health and Safety Team to the site address this issue”, Mathunjwa concluded.
*ENDS*
604 words excluding summary, heading and other text
For more information or media interviews, contact AMCU President Joseph Mathunjwa.